This season's spring fling: Domonic Brown

Here’s a sampling of David Murphy’s love poem to the 22-year-old outfielder, who went yard twice in yesterday's spring training swan song.

“Yesterday, the soft-spoken, slender package of fast-twitch muscle fiber bid adieu to his first big-league spring training with a dramatic performance that would make the Academy proud. He didn't just homer - he homered twice. He didn't just knock the ball out of the field of play - he knocked it clear out of the stadium. He didn't just cut loose on a fireball from one of the American League's top pitchers - he stopped to admire it, later realizing the sin he had committed in the heat of the moment. ... The final line on Domonic Brown's first major league spring training: 10 hits in 24 at-bats, two doubles, three outfield assists, and two home runs, both of which came yesterday in the Phillies' 6-1 win over the Tigers. General manager Ruben Amaro  Jr. was the man who clung so tightly to his top prospect throughout negotiations for Roy Halladay, both last summer and this offseason, but it was manager Charlie Manuel  who set the stage for Brown to show why.”

Great stuff, Murph. There's no sense in trying to top that. [Link]

Transactions: Reliever B.J. Roseberg will accompany Brown to minor league camp.

Comments

[NEPP]

Its clear...Dom Brown is the greatest player in the history of the game.

Seriously though, he could not have had a better debut in big-league camp. I hope it carries over into the season at Reading. Great job Dom!

Note: I hope that if we all keep referring to him as "Dom" Brown, that he'll give in and simply go by it...its such a classic baseball name.

[loctastic]

NEPP - if he doesn't like it, he won't say anything until a year and a half later.

[EastFallowfield]

He should domonate in a couple years.

I didn't check, did Comcast get his name right yesterday?

[Bob]

Can't ask for a better start than that. It should be a fun summer for Brown, building off his spring training, hopefully continuing to work hard, and knowing the big club has their eye on him. Hope he's excited and enjoying the ride. What a future.

Also a bit OT, but it feels pretty good, contemplating Halladay's and Hamels' spring training stats. I know pitchers are supposed to be ahead of hitters and that ST stats are "meaningless", but would we be happier seeing either or both of them getting smacked around by batters who are just starting to get into gear? And I wonder if Verlander felt like he was ahead of Brown yesterday.

[TTI]

The best part of that first home run was that the pitch was sort of on the inner half of the plate. Brown looked real effortless in his ability to draw his hands in towards the ball and still generate the power.

I haven't seen much of him in person but he is going to be fun to watch this year and see if his numbers continue.

[RodeoJones]

Are the sport pages at philly.com crashing occasionally on anyone else? It must be all that sports. It weighs too much.

[clout]

Howard has already nicknamed him: The Total Package.

[toddzilla]

Sounds like a Jersey Shore nickname

[Doohickey]

Sometimes the pixels pile up at the bottom of the screen and block drainage. Just jiggle your monitor a few times and it should clear up.

[phlipper]

He will be known as The Dominator. Book it.

[MG]

Bob - Amaro said it the another day but what matters with Hamels this year is that he camp into camp in the best shape of his career and was throwing already at 89-90 MPH. Amaro said it wasn't until his 5th start last year that he was hitting that kind of velocity steadily.

Large part of why Hamels' numbers were so mediocre last year was that he has the worst month of his young career in April:

4 GS, 0-2, 17 1/3 IP, 7.27 ERA, 1.79 WHIP

Even though Hamels didn't pitch that badly at all in May & June after he came back off the DL his numbers at the ASB were pretty mediocre largely in part to starting off the year with such horrendous stats. Takes a while to really chip into those numbers just like it did for Blanton last year who didn't have good overall numbers until later in July.

[MG]

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20100317_Phils__Lidge_works_on_holding_runners_on_first.html

Interesting article on Lidge's struggles with controlling baserunners last year. I was surprised that there were only 11 steals against him (11 for 12).

Lidge blames in on the change in his mechanics that caused him to have a 0.4 delay. It wouldn't hurt if Lidge actually throw over to first base a bit though too.

Interesting to see if as many teams are willing to run on Lidge in the early going especially if they are down a run with some weaker hitters coming up.

[Andy]

Murphy writes real good;
his prose is shown at top form;
but can he haiku?

[Andy]

philpper - "Domonator"

Lose the i.

[Shawn]

How about we just say screw it and call him the Situation?

[Andy]

Given the amount of his contract and the state of his health, I think Moyer is more os a situation at this point.

[NEPP]

****Are the sport pages at philly.com crashing occasionally on anyone else? It must be all that sports. It weighs too much.****

That happens to me at work all the time...for whatever reason, my work browser HATES Philly.com.

[NEPP]

****Large part of why Hamels' numbers were so mediocre last year was that he has the worst month of his young career in April:****

Hamels posted a 4.04 ERA from June 1st to the end of the season.

[timr]

NEPP's first line got a lol out of me.

[awh]

JW, I hope the Phils' relationship with Brown is longer than a mere fling. :)

[awh]

NEPP, isn't 4.04 better than league average?

Uh oh, Martino tweets that Utley has an upper respiratory infection and will be out of the lineup today.

Hope it's nothing serious. Get Jennifer doen there to give him some TLC.

[NEPP]

****NEPP, isn't 4.04 better than league average?****

I believe so. My only point was that even after he settled in, he was a bit higher than he normally would have been. He looks ready this year.

[R.Billingsly]

Yo, new thread.

[Colin_K]

EFF - I saw the delayed version last night at 10pm, yes they got his name right...saw Domonic.