Conventional wisdom says Brown should becheap mlb jerseys in Class AAA learning and refining his skills. But unconventional wisdom thinks right field at Citizens Bank Park is a perfect place for Brown to grow up.
Think about it. Anything the Phils get offensively from Brown — such as his monster-shot of a homer off Boston Red Sox ace Josh Beckett to open the scoring in Tuesday's win — is a bonus. If Brown goes 0-for-3, as he did in Wednesday's 2-1 defeat of the Red Sox, either: a) the Phils win, so nobody cares; or b) the Phils lose and some bigger name's failures get blamed.
The best way to learn to face major-league pitching and master major-league baseball is to play major-league baseball, as Charlie Manuel well knows.
"Brown's a young kid but we brought him up to give him a chance to play," Manuel said. "He's holding his own. He's going through a breaking-in process."
The Phillies, now at 51-30 after another smothering of the suddenly punchless Red Sox on Wednesday, have the luxury of letting players go through that process in the bigs. Manuel let Vance Worley stretch into the seventh Wednesday on 116 pitches and was rewarded by a strong inning.
"Sooner or later, he's going to have to pitch seven or eight innings," Manuel said. "Seemed like a good night for it."
That's been Manuel's philosophy with Brown all along — seems like a good idea to play him. Brown's hitting .214 (but .333 on the homestand) with five home runs, 13 RBIs, 16 strikeouts, 13 walks and just two stolen bases (which comes from batting seventh or eighth).
Manuel knows Brown will have his ups and downs at the plate and in the field. But what Manuel can't tolerate is ups and downs of hustle and he let Brown know that in firm language after the youngster failed to run a ground ball out Saturday against Oakland.
In a lineup surrounded by sluggers and stacked with stars, Brown doesn't draw a whole lot of attention — unless he makes a bonehead play like that. The crowd booed lustily and his teammates surely noticed.
"We’re not mentioning any names, but a couple of guys got on me — which is good," Brown said. "I was wrong. I was getting on myself even before anybody said anything. That’s just the type of player I am. The veteran guys, they’re going to make sure you know if you’re doing something wrong — which is right."
Getting that lesson taught by men who have World Series rings means more than if it comes from Class AAA vets, as worthy as they are. Just being around the Utleys and Howards and Victorinos helps Brown.
"If you can't learn something about how to be successful in baseball just watching some of our guys, you need to go to school, or something," Manuel said. "I like the way Brown responded (Tuesday); I liked that."
Brown responded not only to the veterans, the fans and Manuel but to a more familiar source.
"My dad (Robert Walker) even got on me for cheap authentic mlb jerseysnot running the ball out," Brown said. "It was definitely a wake-up call. I wasn’t even really thinking about it until I talked to Charlie. I was like, ’Man, that’s not my style of play.’ I rely on everything about my speed and how I go about my business the right way. Not hustling, not running balls out, that’s just not Domonic Brown."
It hasn't ever been that watching Brown play for Reading, Lehigh Valley and the Phillies. It almost surely won't ever be again as Brown continues to learn what the majors are all about.
Brown's at-bats are getting smarter. He's becoming more aware of his situation at the plate. He still swings at the occasional bad pitch or gets too jumpy in the box, but precisely because such errors have become rarer, they stand out more.
"I've learned a lot more about hitting since I have been here," Brown said. "(The double off Beckett) I took the pitch where it was and it took it the other way. (The homer off Beckett) was a fastball over the plate and I hit it pretty good.
"I've following Charlie's advice and getting in great counts and take advantage of them, either swing at a good pitch or take a walk. And sometimes when I get in good counts, I'm trying to do too much, trying to hit every 2-0 pitch out of the ballpark."
Those Phillies fans who still think Brown should be learning wearing an IronPigs uniform should remember when another youngster learned his trade on the diamond in Philadelphia instead of on the farm. That player struggled terribly, hitting a brutal .196 for the season with 136 strikeouts.
That player's patient manager, Danny Ozark, was the man Manuel passed Wednesday to become No. 3 on the Phils all-time managerial win list with 595. Brown could have a worse model to follow in learning in the big leagues — because that player was Mike Schmidt. He did fine after that 1973 horror, and the suspicion is Brown will do so as well. For now, Phils fans can enjoy the process — and the luxury — of a player growing up before their eyes
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