Major League Baseball

Phillies like what they see from OF prospect Brown

Published Mar. 8, 2010 10:37 p.m. ET

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For the first time in three games, Dominic Brown's name was not in the Philadelphia Phillies' starting lineup when it was posted in the team's clubhouse on Monday.

But with the way the top prospect has played in the first week of exhibition baseball in Florida, Brown is primed to be an everyday staple in the Phillies' star-studded batting order in the near future.

The 22-year-old Brown, rated the 15th best prospect in the game by Baseball America last month, is hitting .467 (7 for 15) with two doubles and four RBIs in four games.

Brown came off the bench Monday and nearly added to that RBI total in the top of the ninth of Monday's 7-5 loss to a New York Yankees split squad. With two on and two out, Brown launched a ball to the warning track.

``I'm just trying to be myself and slow everything down. Everything moves fast up here,'' Brown said of his impressive spring debut. ``There's a long way to go - a long way to go.''

Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said he's letting Brown play because he likes the talent on display from the young outfielder.

``He's going to be a good player,'' Manuel said. ``He's got a lot of tools. He can run, throw, hit, got power. He's got to keep playing (and) keep getting better.''

Brown collected his first three-hit game of the spring Sunday, when his two-run, opposite-field double down the left field line tied the game against the Tampa Bay Rays. In the two previous games, against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays, Brown banged out four hits and showed off his speed and defensive prowess, too.

Brown, a right fielder, has gunned down a pair of runners at home plate in the last four games. He threw a frozen rope from right field to home plate to nail down a runner Friday against the Jays, and sprinted in to make a diving catch to rob Lastings Milledge of a hit Saturday against the Pirates.

The 6-foot-5, 204-pound Brown, who bypassed a football scholarship to the University of Miami to sign with the Phillies out of high school, has also exhibited his athleticism on the base paths, legging out two infield singles and nearly stretching a double to left into a triple.

``He's got quiet speed - with long strides, he gains ground in a hurry,'' said Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson. ``He's got it all.''

Brown, a first-time invitee to major league camp, will most likely begin the season at Double-A Reading. Despite being sidelined over a month with a hand injury, he hit .294 with 14 home runs, 64 RBIs and 23 stolen bases in 103 games between Class A Clearwater and Double-A Reading in 2009.

If the uber-athletic Brown continues to progress as a pro prospect this summer, there's a decent chance he could be roaming the outfield at Citizen Bank Park in 2011. Current right-fielder Jayson Werth is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2010 season, and the franchise has already committed over $130 million to 15 players in 2011.

If Werth does return, Brown could also be the heir apparent in left field since Raul Ibanez, who turns 38 this summer, will be entering the final season of his three-year contract in 2011.

``All you can do is play ball and hopefully the rest will take care of itself,'' Brown said. ``I really don't worry about it.''

The popular subject of the nonstop trade rumors involving Roy Halladay in the last year, Brown has already adapted an approach that limits his concentration to on-field matters. His performance this spring provides the proof.

No matter when a spot opens on the major league roster, Phillies officials are confident his participation in major league camp this spring - chatting and taking batting practice with the likes of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Co. - will benefit Brown in the long run.

``You hope it's not only humbling, but also motivating,'' assistant general manager Chuck LaMar said. ``You hope, in a humble way, he can look around and say, 'I can play with these guys.' He doesn't have to say it, but hopefully he gets that feeling that, 'You know, they're really good, but I've got a chance.'''