One of the biggest sports cliches I happen to loathe is “It is what it is.” That said, I think at this stage I am willing to suggest Domonic Brown is what he is.
So what is Brown? A sketchy outfielder with a chance to hit .250 and maybe hit 20 home runs. This is not the Domonic Brown that Ruben Amaro needed to go out of his way to keep in various trade deals in recent seasons, but it is the one the Phillies are currently locked into playing this season before possibly moving on. It was fair for a couple of seasons to allow Brown a chance to grow with the position and role of an everyday outfielder, but unless something changes in a big way in 2015, it will be time to move in a different direction and admit placing so much stock in Brown was a mistake.
Brown has played, essentially, two full seasons with the Phillies and a little less than half of two others. There was that one hot month in 2013 that helped send Brown to the All-Star Game, but other than that, Brown has been average at best. And that’s putting it kindly. Heading into the spring, Brown will be a player I want to start seeing some improvement somewhere, be it offense or defense. There is something to be said about not letting pressure get to you, and it certainly seems as though Brown is going to spring training with a clear head.
Brown, as quoted by Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly (emphasis mine);
“Just going out and having a lot of fun,” the 27-year-old outfielder said. “Just staying positive every single day, man. You hear a lot of guys saying that but are they really thinking that? It’s a difference, and I want to make sure that my teammates are on the same page as me. The last few years a lot of us haven’t been on the same page. I want to make sure that we’re trying to win ballgames and that’s my biggest goal. Whether I’m sitting on the bench or playing every single day, it really doesn’t matter. I’m going out there and I’m making sure that I’m going to give my team a chance to win a ballgame.”
Part of that quote does not sit well with me at all, but I will let that one sit for sports radio folks to scrutinize too much further. I will say this much: It absolutely should bother Brown if he is sitting on the bench. That “it doesn’t matter” thought is something that should never be said by a professional athlete, especially in Philadelphia. But when you look at the full quote, Brown is putting off an idea that he wants to help this team contribute and win games. He wants to be able to help on any way possible, be it at the plate, in the field, or on the bench discussing what he sees going on. Given his production, I am not thrilled with that last idea.
I am not rooting against Brown, please understand this. I would love nothing more than to be proven wrong in a big way, and I will be the first to admit it if it comes to that. After five years though, I think we have seen what Brown is. Think about it. How much improvement do really you see out of a player in his sixth season in the big leagues? If there is a jump, how significant is it (without the use of extra supplements, that is)? The Phillies do not have a player like Ken Griffey Jr. or Barry Bonds here. They have a player more comparable to a player like Wes Chamberlain or John Mayberry, who the Phillies traded to Toronto in exchange for Gustavo Pierre last season and has since signed with the New York Mets.
The Phillies will be paying Brown $2.6 million this season before he is eligible for arbitration in 2016. This is a critical year for Brown.
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