#5 Domonic Brown – Philadelphia Phillies

OF

DOB: 9-3-87

ETA: 2011

(more…)

On Monday, all eyes were on Bryce Harper as he made his Spring Training debut off the bench for the Nationals.  The 18-year-old, who served as the team’s DH, received two at-bats, striking out in both of them.  I was just happy to see him get his hacks in, and could care less that he struck out twice.

Elsewhere, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas both went yard in a 12-11 loss to the Rangers; a game that featured 25 hits, 12 of which went for extra-bases.  Danny Duffy managed to surrender a run without giving up a hit, and fellow left-hander Chris Dwyer was tagged with the loss after allowing a three-run seventh.

But at the end of the day it was Brandon Belt who turned in the day’s best performance, which included an RBI single in the second, and a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning that broke the game open.

(more…)

[Photo courtesy of Jason Getz/AJC]

With Spring Training now officially under way, and rampant speculation firmly in place, I thought that it might be interesting to track the performances of Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects.  Some of these players have the potential to crack the opening day roster; some are years away.  Regardless, they are the faces of the future and ridiculously fun to follow.

(more…)

• What’s an installment of Prospect Buzz without a little Bryce Harper speculation? After speaking with Nationals’ Manager Jim Riggleman on Friday morning, John Heyman tweeted that Bryce Harper could reach the big leagues in 2011 if he were to dominate “at every level.” Although I still doubt that it will actually happen, the fact that Riggleman, and presumably Mike Rizzo, have entertained the idea is exciting.  Jeff Sullivan over at SBNation contemplates the type of numbers Harper must put up at each stop to make his debut in 2011, and believes they might have to be similar to Ken Griffey, Jr.’s during his brief, minor league career. At least we know that he’ll be documenting his entire ascent to stardom…

• Apparently Carlos Santana will take some reps at first base during Spring Training, and undoubtedly increase his fantasy value with each one.  After sustaining a gruesome, season-ending knee injury in 2010, Santana is finally healthy…and the Tribe obviously wants to keep it that way.  With the possibility of playing first base, he becomes an even more intriguing fantasy option behind the plate; he might be able to avoid further knee or leg injuries and will likely play more games than originally anticipated.

(more…)

On July 28, 2010, the Philadelphia Phillies gave their fans a taste of the future when they called up 22-year old outfielder Dominic Brown to play right field.  The move was a result of Shane Victorino’s trip to the DL, and the subsequent decision to shift their usual right fielder, Jayson Werth, over to center field.  Although Brown’s playing time drastically decreased after Victorino’s activation, he showed the baseball world that there is a lot to look forward to in 2011.

Ranked by Baseball America as the 15^th best prospect headed in the 2010 season, Brown began the year at Double-A Reading of the Eastern League where he played in 65 games as the team’s right fielder.  There he slashed .318/.391/.602 with 16 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs and 47 RBI.  Brown also managed 29 walks and struck out 51 times in 236 at-bats.  Although the 6’5” outfielder has tremendous speed, he has not yet mastered the art of stealing a base, as evidenced by his 12 stolen bases in 18 attempts.

(more…)