Domonic Brown must win his job
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Domonic Brown must win his job
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
In each of the last two springs, Domonic Brown had a chance to win a starting job. He batted 16 times in 2011 before a freak fracture of a bone in his wrist handed Ben Francisco right field. Last spring, Brown batted all of 20 times while hamstrung by thumb, neck and knee ailments. John Mayberry Jr. started in left on opening day.
This is not revisionist history. Was Brown guaranteed anything by the Phillies? Absolutely not. Did he do enough to secure anything? Definitely not.
So, with a few weeks before camp opens, Brown stares down his third chance. The 25-year-old was anointed the Phillies' best prospect for three straight years by Baseball America. He has batted 492 times in parts of three major-league seasons with inconsistent results, at times displaying the tantalizing talent that seduced scouts. Mostly, he grades as incomplete because the sample size is much too small.
"I'm kind of interested to see how guys react to the opportunities they’ll have in spring training," Ruben Amaro Jr. said, "because they're going to have the chance to play."
The Phillies GM was not talking specifically about Brown. But if the erstwhile top prospect cannot beat out Darin Ruf, John Mayberry Jr. and Laynce Nix for playing time this spring, it could finally signal the end of a complicated marriage.
Amaro created this drama by signing Delmon Young to a one-year, $750,000 deal and labeled him the everyday right fielder "in a perfect world." That was viewed as Brown's spot. It had not been guaranteed. Brown did not lose a job. And there was no reason to hand Brown a job given his checkered injury history.
This is merely another chapter in the curious journey of Brown from ultra-hyped prospect to major-league player.
When asked if there needed to be a platoon in left, Amaro said, "not necessarily." Consider the competition: Ruf is 26, has never played outfield for a full season and has 37 major-league plate appearances. Mayberry, 29, resembled more platoon player than regular during his first full season in 2012. Nix, 32 and the highest paid outfielder on the roster, is a bench player.
And, again, this all assumes Young can competently man a position he has not for six years; overcome microfracture surgery on his ankle; maintain acceptable conditioning, all while hitting for power in the middle of Charlie Manuel's lineup. There very well could be two corner spots to fill.
The Phillies will let spring training decide things. Two team officials admitted it would be ideal if Brown could finally seize his moment. That way, either Ruf or Mayberry could occasionally pop into the lineup maybe to spell Brown against a tough lefty or provide rest for Young.
Both Ruf and Brown have options remaining, so they could be sent to the minors. Mayberry does not.
"Domonic Brown and Darin Ruf will be battling out in left field," Amaro said, and later added Mayberry is "in the mix as well."
Whatever is said between now and April 1 has little bearing. It will be decided on the field, and the Phillies' request of Brown is reasonable. Show us.
He has amassed a total of 36 at-bats in 13 Grapefruit League games during the last two springs. There are fingers to point regarding the handling of Brown over the years, but the fact remains he is still 25. There is time. There is an opportunity.
It's not Delmon Young, Darin Ruf, John Mayberry Jr. or Laynce Nix who will prevent Domonic Brown from attaining a regular role.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
they should forget about trying ruf in left field and play him at first base... find a team that is willing to pay howard's huge salary and give him away to them... i think it is all downhill from here for howard.— zwarte piet- I agree on the Brown article. "Top-notch" prospect has been suspect at best. Do you-know-what or get off the pot.— mrjarn
- It's so sad that Dom Brown is the ONE PROSPECT that Rube decided to hold onto. Over the last two years, he jettisoned every other top farmhand for trash. But the guy he simply refused to part with turns out to be a bust. warbiscuit might be right - Amaro might be the worst GM in professional sports.— Copper34
- DB could have been moved in the Halladay deal, but was then an "untouchable"...by the time the Oswalt and Pence deals came about, Ed Wade was in no way interested, as the holes in DB's swing were already exposed, along with defensive shortcomings...Despite the improved plate discipline, his BP power has to surface more often in games for him to make a showing...I'd try a strict platoons to start, and hope someone steps up, while gaining confidence. — bearsfriend
- Why is he still on the team?
— lostInPhilly - Throw yourself back in time a few years and imagine a world where the Phillies' GM signs an injured, overweight designated hitter, coming off a season of sub-.300 OBP as a parasite in a lineup with two of the games biggest sluggers, and anoints this cast-off as "the answer" at RF. Amaro has driven this team off a cliff and into the ocean and is will jump out and start digging when they get to the bottom.— jtj10
- And which of those great prospects that Amara gave away are currently tearing up the majors, Copper?— cloudkitt
- Do we still pretend that Copper isn't also warbiscuit? I love it when they "talk to each other, or one ALWAYS references the brilliance of the other.
Dom Brown has been a bust. In Ruf we trust, and I don't understand why a kid who waited for our hillbilly manager, who doesn't trust rookies left him on the bench for weeks, and only hit homer after homer, just like the minors, is still a question mark. Revere, Ruf, and Ready Delmon are a semi-solid OF on paper.
Lets face it, this season is a transitional one, but it has to be better than last year, if you want any silver lining. - warbiscuit may not be brilliant - but he had Amaro nailed as a fraud long before the rest of us. And, his analysis of the personnel moves made by Ruin Tomorrow Jr. were the only ons in print until David Murphy's piece today. So, don't hate on warbiscuit. BTW -does anyone really care what you "love" in the philly.com comment section? I know I don't care ... You should go back to focusing on the despicable ownership group!! — Copper34
- I guess being a "new poster", that you were unaware, long before my detestation of Bill Giles and cheap ownership ( it rivals biscuit's hatred of the Rube ), I took daily shots at the "brilliance" of Uncle Chollie, his veteran love and rookie distrust, and yes, even the Rube. Somehow this site doesn't save everything, but you would be hard-pressed to see me ever defend Amaro last year, all season long, for as long as last summer's comments are saved on this site. I also took an unpopular stand with one poster who shall remain nameless, who defended Howard , when I took a shot at his shoddy year. That back and forth battle he made racial, when it was always about just plain lack of plate discipline , year in and out, hurt, or uninjured. I got tired of the "flail and bail" on every outside slider, a mile off the plate. Also, given his weight, he could have used other "plate discipline".
I took exception to biscuit's penchant for thin skin, and when someone who was a "newbie" didn't agree, and he wrote five consecutive posts against one innocent poster, I was moved to respond, though I watched him and his doppelganger stalker fight all last year without a word. Anger management would be helpful therapy, as well as losing his paranoid streak. To disagree on OPINION, is not to disavow biscuit per se, just the virulence of the expression. Biscuit, ironically , is his own worst enemy, because he may be right , but a broken record, with poor delivery, DILUTES the message. I think we can all agree, that the success of the 2008 Phillies was a joint Wade/Gillick success, while the Rube has squandered his money, like a spendthrift, wastefully and recklessly, and been cheap when he should have ponied up for talent that was there. Don't get me started on the trade pieces he gave up. - That's right, Brown hasn't earned himself anything more han a chance to win a job. May the best men win and hopefully don't combine for the worst OF in MLB in 2013, as it was looking quite possible they'd be.— PhillySubsMac
- Ruf in left and Brown in Right, this is the best case scenerio, all Phillies fans should hope that Ruf and Brown win these jobs in spring. We need thier youth in the lineup and we need both to develop into productive everyday players.— LOVEMYCITY
- They should've traded Brown when his stock was still high.. Now they won't be able to get anything at all for him.
— BosoxJohnny - How does Brown have options? He's been in the majors 3 years now. As far as I know the rule is once on the 40-man, a player has 3 option years. Brown hit the majors in 2010 and it wasn't as a December call-up. He's spent part of every year since in the majors. That's 3 years. There's a 4th year possible but it pretty much involves playing single A ball.
I believe the only players with options are Ruf, Galvis and Revere.— s - Not as a September call-up ...
The guy has less than 500 PA's in those three years which pretty much tells you all you need to know about how the Phillies manage their younger players.— s
