Atta-Boy, Dom Brown!

By: Max Power

I am happy to say that I was wrong about Domonic Brown. The only Phillies “star of tomorrow” that wasn’t traded away in the summers following 2008 in an admirable, but ineffective, attempt to win another World Series title is finally playing to his potential. Unfortunately for us fans who were hoping for one more run at a title with the core that won it all in 2008, Domonic Brown is the only bright spot this season. Rather than taking this opportunity to lay into the rest of the team, let me finish eating crow.

Last year, I reached my breaking point with Brown. I didn’t want to hear about his athleticism or his potential anymore. What I kept hearing couldn’t eclipse what I was seeing on the field. His inability to track a fly ball not only raised questions about his athleticism, but also his ability to see. How is he the same guy who was offered a football scholarship in high school to play wide receiver for the University of Miami? His approach to hitting reminded me all too much of Ryan Howard’s massive uppercut swing-and-a-miss that we’ve all become way too familiar with. Howard’s, on the other hand, came after a Rookie of the Year honor, MVP award, and World Series title. Brown didn’t have any of those accolades, so his batting woes came with a lot less earned patience from me. Because of this, I wanted him gone. Trade him for anything; just get him out of here. This past spring training, the Phillies front office seemed to share my frustration by openly challenging Brown to make the team. “Finally”, I thought. Keep doing your thing down there in Clearwater and we can all move on, once the games that count begin in Philadelphia. Peace out, Dom Brown.

Flash forward to June and Domonic Brown is the only Phillie worth watching during a Phils at-bat this season. He is currently leading a team of future Citizens Bank Wall of Famers in home runs, RBI, and runs. Not bad for a guy who couldn’t stay with the big club in the past, even when the door was wide open and Ruben was basically pushing him through. Now I’m well aware that the Phillies are one-third of the way through the 2013 season, but kudos to Domonic Brown and his performance. I am glad that he proved me wrong, because right now, Dom Brown is all we have to cheer for in the bottom half of a home game inning.