Photo courtesy SportsNet.ca
Domonic Brown's Phillies career ended this offseason after six up and down seasons with the club. Brown made his Major League debut to a standing ovation at Citizens Bank Park, and his career ended with in injury during a botched play down the right field line. Once the "untouchable" piece that caused the Phillies to pass on ace pitcher Roy Halladay in 2009, Brown rose to the National League All-Star team, and then failed to make some necessary adjustments after that. Brown, now a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, now will tell you that himself.
Brown spoke to Sports Net Canada's Arden Zwelling and spoke of his gratitude to get a chance to prove himself once again:
“Baseball’s a humbling game,” Brown says, standing at his locker filled with unfamiliar equipment. “I’m just grateful and fortunate to be here.”
Brown and the Blue Jays seemed to be destined for one another. In fact, Brown says that he had his bags packed in 2009, thinking he was headed to Toronto in exchange for Halladay. But the Blue Jays happened, in part, because the Blue Jays made the decision to trade outfielder Ben Revere to the Washington Nationals this offseason. After the recent potential acquisition of outfielder Jay Bruce fell through due to concerns on medical reports of some other players involved, Brown got his channce. Zwelling explains that Brown's agent reached out to the Blue Jays:
Brown lives in Pasco County, Fla., just north of Tampa Bay, so when he heard the Blue Jays had traded Ben Revere this offseason he asked his agent to get in touch with the club.
There was some interest, as the Blue Jays are clearly looking to bolster their outfield depth considering the team’s two failed attempts to trade for Reds right fielder Jay Bruce this spring. Toronto’s front office kicked tires on some other options before officially signing Brown, who enters a crowded competition along with Michael Saunders, Dalton Pompey, Junior Lake and Ezequiel Carrera, all vying to fill the team’s final two outfield spots behind Jose Bautista and Kevin Pillar.
The players mentioned, including former Phillies outfielde Ezequiel Carrera, are also players who had high potential that they never failed to realize. Brown believes, however, that he recognizes his own failures. While Philliedelphia.com and plenty of other publications have criticized Brown for failing to make adjustments, Brown seems to have accepted as such for himself:
“I got pull happy — it was pretty simple,” Brown says. “I got a little cocky there with the right field porch. Then pitchers started going back away and I didn’t make the adjustment.”
“I loved Philly. I wasn’t ready to go. Things just played out that way. They wanted to make a little pay cut with the younger guys,” Brown says. “But I take ownership of it and I know that I wasn’t playing up to my abilities.”
Ready or not, the time had come where Brown's tenure in Philadelphia had to end. An arbitration-eligible player, the Phillies would have had to pony up millions of dollars to sign Brown for 2016. The upside of Tyler Goeddel, Aaron Altherr, and the continued emergence of Odubel Herrera left the outfield too crowded to devote anymore time and money to Brown.
Brown has a lot to prove. In fact, Brown was issued number 81 with the Blue Jays, usually reserved for prospects with very little of a chance to make the team. But, Brown still has some tools. Should Brown prove during the Spring that he can make some adjustments, the Blue Jays may give him a chance. And a new number.
Read Zwelling's full piece on Domonic Brown on SportsNet.ca.
