2k11 Domonic Brown

[Hammer]

I figured I would restart a hot commodity in 2k11.

Heres what Charlie Manuel had to say about Brown at the BBWAA dinner last night.


The Phillies manager, who was there to see Halladay pick up his Cy Young Award, said he is going to play rookie rightfielder Domonic Brown "a lot" in spring training -- which sounds like the plan Braves manager Bobby Cox used with his rookie rightfielder last year, Jason Heyward. "You have to remember that he really hasn't played that much baseball," said Manuel of Brown, who turned down a college football scholarship to sign out of the 20th round with Philadelphia.

Manuel also wants to work with Brown on keeping his hands lower as he loads to hit. "I think when he got around the big leagues, he wanted to put on a show and impress people," Manuel said. "That's natural with a young player. But from what I know, he didn't have his hands quite that high in the minor leagues. He's going to play a lot this spring."

[willthethrill]

If you're in a redraft league, I'd pass on Brown this year and let someone else take the risk. He's still very raw and I could see him struggling to find his way for a year or more. And I also think that the Phillies will have him start the year in AAA for a month, waiting for him to get hot before calling him up.

Keeper leagues-Go get him but temper expectations for '11.

[Erik]

He is more likely to start 2011 in a platoon or in AAA than as a full-timer, unless he tears it up in spring training. By the end of the year, he should be playing pretty much every day, but don't pay for that on draft day.

[joncarlos]

Wow... Bill James has him at .288-26-94-84r-28sb.

Phils Phans only have him at .272-16-67-61r-17sb (in 486 PA) which seems a lot more realistic to me. I guess James' projection is his upside. Give him another 100 ABs at the fans' rates and he's pushing 20-20.

[heyelander]

http://articles.philly.com/2011-01-30/sports/27091310_1_domonic-brown-ruben-amaro-jayson-werth

Inside the Phillies: Don't write off Brown for Phillies' right-field job

Inexplicably, in the 186 days since then, Phillies executives, fans, talking heads, and writers (yours truly not excluded) have tried to knock Brown down a peg. It is this groupthink that has prevailed throughout the off-season: Brown isn't ready to be the everyday rightfielder.

And it's wrong. What, exactly, is this notion based on? After a spectacular minor-league season, Brown had 62 at-bats in the majors. Many were as a bench player, a role to which he was unaccustomed. He also suffered a strained right quadriceps that limited him in September.

...

Remember when Domonic Brown was the top prospect, the can't-miss hitter, the only guy the Phillies refused to include in their three trades for ace pitchers? For sure, Brown is a raw talent. But he has mastered the minor-league level; it's best if the seasoning comes in the majors as Jayson Werth's replacement.

...

A GM is charged with the task of managing expectations. No doubt he's done this with Brown in the off-season. Amaro knows what message he is sending.

So does Manuel.

"I'm not ready to send him to the minor leagues yet," the manager said in December.

Manuel plans to play Brown early and often in Grapefruit League games. Atlanta had a similar situation last spring with wunderkind Jason Heyward. He had 59 at-bats during the spring (fourth most on the Braves) and played his way into the opening-day lineup, eventually finishing second in rookie of the year voting.

Brown will have that same opportunity. Yes, he bats lefthanded and so do Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez. But Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are switch-hitters; Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz hit from the right side. Utley actually hit better against lefties in 2010 and has an identical .894 OPS against both sides for his career. There is enough balance.

[willthethrill]

Things Are Looking UP for Domonic?

From Philly.com:

WHEN GREG GROSS began poring over video of Domonic Brown's at-bats during the outfielder's 2-month stint with the Phillies at the end of last season, he immediately noticed something out of whack.

Together, the coach and player talked through the mechanics of the swing, and, by the end of the workout, both were confident the problem had been rectified.

"The good part about it is it didn't have anything to do with his swing," Gross said. "It was just the position he was in to get started - and that wasn't that bad, either. It was just the timing of when he got to the place where he was ready to swing. Then [his hands] would drop even more and he'd be late."

Brown has proved to be a quick study thus far. The Phillies hope that trend continues when they open spring training next week in Clearwater, where the fate of their top prospect figures to be the top story line in what the club hopes is a drama-free spring.

Although the first full-squad workout won't take place until Feb. 19 - pitchers and catchers take the field Monday - Brown has been hitting with teammates in Florida since Feb. 1.

[ThatRogue]

This is music to my ears...

(Signed, Domonic Brown owner via my minor league squad)

[willthethrill]

Domonic Brown fractured a bone in his right hand on the first swing of the game Saturday and he will likely require surgery that could keep him out for three to six weeks.

Expect him to have a lengthy rehab stint in the minors then to get going. I think that a June recall is probably about right.

[Moonlight J]

Gonna kill his power numbers this season

[Flyman]

Uptick for Ben Francisco.

[Lucky]

Brrrr. I had Canseco the year he had his hamate problem. I feel sorry for the kid. He did finish the AB, though, and got his first hit of Spring Training.

I agree with Jason, though. Hinske never got his power back, IIRC.

[Gregg]

Brrrr. I had Canseco the year he had his hamate problem. I feel sorry for the kid. He did finish the AB, though, and got his first hit of Spring Training.

I agree with Jason, though. Hinske never got his power back, IIRC.

Enough that I stopped typing my huge offer for him earlier today. Wrists or hands can be hard to come back from.

[wilbur wood]

So much for the experiment of tinkering with the kid's swing.

0-for-15 and then a broken hand.

Ranks right up there with when the Mets tried to reteach Jose Reyes how to run

[Erik]

That's what ST is for. The tinkering, not the hand-breaking.

In any case, his value drops way down in redraft leagues, as he'll probably be in AAA until June or so, depending how Francisco and anyone else they play in RF do, and it can take a while to get your power back after this kind of injury.

[heyelander]

2 for 3 in extended spring training action last night.