Phillies' prospect Brown earns praise for attitude, work ethic

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The kid didn't make much of a first impression. Long and lean with plenty of obvious potential, Domonic Brown had hit just .214 as an 18-year-old with the Phillies' Gulf Coast League affiliate in 2006. The next season, he moved on to short-season Class A Williamsport, where he shared a clubhouse with 2007 first-round draft pick Joe Savery. One day, Savery was talking to then-pitching coach Bill Bliss about various Phillies prospects when Bliss pointed in the direction of Brown.

"He's the guy to watch," Bliss said.

Savery recalled the story yesterday as he sat in the home clubhouse at Bright House Field, where moments earlier he had listened via radio as Brown tied the Phillies' Grapefruit League game with a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning.

"He ended up being right," Savery said with a chuckle.

Spring training is about the big picture. So while the Phillies wound up losing to Tampa Bay, 5-3, in 10 innings yesterday, it was the play of the team's top position prospect that dominated the day. Brown continued his torrid spring start, going 3-for-5 to give himself seven hits in his first 15 Grapefruit League at-bats. He has yet to flash his power, but he has displayed everything else - from his powerful arm (three outfield assists) to his polished bat (his double in the eighth inning went to the opposite field off lefty Heath Phillips), to his speed (he legged out an infield single earlier in the afternoon).

"He has the right mind-set; he has the skills," first baseman Ryan Howard said. "It's just a matter of putting it together and just learning right now. And that's what he's been doing."

In fact, Brown's willingness to learn has prompted unsolicited praise from several of the team's veterans. Other top prospects might act as if the big leagues are waiting for them to arrive. But nothing about Brown - other than his play on the field - suggests that he entered spring training rated by Baseball America as the 15th-best prospect in the game.

In fact, as leftfielder Raul Ibanez highlighted some of Brown's virtues yesterday, he sounded more like a father breaking down his daughter's boyfriend than a veteran ballplayer breaking down an up-and-comer.

"He's a great kid," Ibanez said. "He's a really nice kid. He works really hard. He's very receptive. He asks a lot of questions. He's very respectful. And, he's a great athlete."

The Phillies are seeing a lot of him. Brown has started each of the last three games in rightfield, garnering multiple hits in all of them. He played all nine innings yesterday, 1 day after throwing out two runners in a 3-3 tie against the Pirates. On Friday, he threw a runner out at home, and narrowly missed cutting one down at second.

"It's great for me," said the 22-year-old Brown, who notched a pair of hits against major leaguers Brandon Morrow and David Purcey on Friday against the Blue Jays. "If I can hit here, I should be able to hit anywhere. It's great competition. And it's hard work."

That type of attitude has impressed his potential teammates the most.

"I think moreso, he's just kind of observed," Howard said. "You can learn a lot by asking questions, but you can also learn a lot just by observing."

But players like Howard have done some observing of their own.

Said Ibanez: "I didn't know anything about him until I got here. But obviously, the way that he plays - the fact that he has a lot of ability is one thing, but his character is really impressive. He works his tail off, and he cares about getting better all the time."

In fact, when Savery talks about his impressions of Brown as a young rookie-baller, it is Brown's attitude that he remembers most.

"He was a great teammate," Savery said. "He's just a good guy to have around."

The front office thinks he will be around for a while. Thus far, Brown hasn't provided a reason to think otherwise.

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese.