Monday, May 2, 2011
Posted: 9:47 p.m.
By John R. Finger
CSNPhilly.com
ALLENTOWN, Pa.Understandably, Domonic Brown was pretty pleased to get out of Florida. Sure, he was born in Zephyrhills, which isnt too far from where he lives in Clearwater, and was recruited to play wide receiver at the University of Miami. But when a person has been in a place much longer than anticipated, its easy to get a little stir crazy.
Then again, crazy is the operative word to describe how the 2011 baseball season has gone for Brown. In fact, even his trip from Clearwater to Allentown was an ordeal met with flight delays and too much time cooped into too small a space.
But Brown is back in Pennsylvania playing baseball and thats a good thing.
I just want to take it one step at a time and I wasnt doing that in spring training, Brown explained before Monday nights game. I was trying to go for the home run every single at-bat, and thats not my game at all. Im a patient hitter. Get my walks, a couple strikeouts, but Im very patient at the plate. I wasnt doing that.
Brown was activated from the disabled list prior to Monday nights game at Coca-Cola Park and was placed into the No. 3 slot in manager Ryne Sandbergs lineup against Mets Triple-A affiliate, Buffalo. Upon being activated after five games in a rehab stint for Single-A Clearwater, the Phillies optioned Brown to Triple-A. Interestingly, Brown thought he was headed for Double-A Reading.
Regardless, Brown went 1 for 5 in his debut with a laser beam single that short-hopped the rightfield wall so quickly that he was held to a long single. He also struck out on three pitches to lead off the bottom of the eighth.
MLB
Either way, Brown undoubtedly will be playing in the Commonwealth for the foreseeable future, but whether thats in the Lehigh Valley or south on the Northeast Extension in Philadelphia remains to be seen. Actually, his future playing venue just might be the only thing Brown has control over. If he hits, chances are he wont be with the IronPigs for very long.
After all, it seems as if there could be a job opening in Philadelphia in the near future.
Of course Im paying attention to what is going on up there, Brown said when asked if he was following the outfield situation with the Phillies. Hopefully I can contribute to the team whenever. Right now, I'm thinking about Lehigh. That's where my mind is right now.
To be sure, however, it is not simply a matter of Brown getting his at-bats, ironing out his swing and then heading back to the majors. No, its much more complicated than that. For one thing, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. wants to avoid a situation like the one Brown was subjected to last year when he was called up to the big leagues, played steadily for about two weeks while Shane Victorino was on the disabled list before taking a seat on the bench.
From Aug. 12 until the end of the playoffs, Brown had just 27 at-bats with three of them coming in the nine games of the postseason. Then there was the abortive winter ball stint in the Dominican Republic where Brown says he sat some more and could not regain his rhythm when he finally got a chance to play.
Still, Brown went to spring training with the Phillies as the favorite to win the starting rightfielders job with Jayson Werth gone to Washington. Moreover, with Raul Ibanez mired in an epic 0-for-34 slumpthe sixth-longest in team historyand batting just .154, the Phillies could be looking for some hitting support.
However, if Brown is bucking for the gig, hes going to have to earn it.
He needs to play, Amaro told reporters on Sunday night. Were not going to bring Domonic Brown up just to bring him up. Well bring him when hes ready to contribute here.
Sandberg noticed an immediate difference in his team when Brown arrived, as well as a few misplaced baseballs during batting practice, too.
What I know is that after one batting practice he brought a new life and some excitement, Sandberg said. I noticed the excitement just after one round of BP. The ball looks different coming off his bat. We want him to get his work in here and get ready to go to Philadelphia.
Thats fine by Brown. After spinning his wheels during spring training where he said he was 0 for 15 and experimenting with a new batting technique where he kept his hands lower, Brown broke his hamate bone while connecting for his first (and only) hit of the spring. But even before he began to rehab after surgery, Brown decided he was going to go back to holding his hands up high and his old attitude.
Why not? It was with the unique batting stance and unwavering confidence that helped make Brown one of the top prospects in the game.
My confidence is back high, Brown said. My confidence was high then, but switching the hands and everything kind of got me down a little bit, took this time off, and everything happens for a reason. My hands just started getting higher and higher as I went up in the big leagues, and I wasnt playing every day, so they were just getting higher and higher. We were really just trying to get them back down the normal way, and they just kept dropping and dropping. Now I'm back where I need to be. I feel strong, confident.
He will get his chance, too. Sandberg will see to it, saying hes just as excited as everyone else to sit back and allow his best prospect do his thing. Of course if anyone knows about the fast track to the majors its the Hall of Famer Sandberg. Drafted in the 20th round when he was 18, Sandberg was called up by the Phillies in 1981 when he was just 20. By the time he turned 21, Sandberg was in the big leagues to stay. Better yet, when he was 24 he already had an MVP award and helped take the Chicago Cubs to the playoffs.
Not too shabby.
Brown also was drafted in the 20th round by the Phillies and made it to the big leagues when he was 21. But for now, at least, it seems as if he has to take a bit of a detour before getting back.
Hes joined his club. Hes going to get at-bats, hes batting third and hes a big piece in our lineup, Sandberg said. Hes going to get his playing time and its really up to him for where he goes from here.
Of course there is only one place for him to go, but Brown is in no rush.
Or so he says.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com
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