Philadelphia Phillies: Why Domonic Brown Should Be the Everyday Right Fielder
May 29, 2011 by Drew Miller
Filed under Fan News
After watching the weekend series with the Mets, it is clear who should start in right field for the Phillies.
According to ESPN’s Keith Law, Domonic Brown is the fourth best prospect in all of baseball.
Finally, he is starting to show his true talent.
Everybody who has watched the Phillies this season has seen Ben Francisco struggle. He started off hitting the ball decently, but his average has plummeted to .224.
Nobody should be surprised by this. Francisco is a career bench player, who is a very reliable pinch-hitter. By no means is he an everyday outfielder.
In 48 games, Francisco only has 25 RBI. In only five starts in right field, Brown already has three RBI. Not to mention over the past four games, he has had seven hits in 11 at-bats. Over the current road trip, he has five hits in seven at-bats.
Brown is slugging .529 and is hitting .368 in 34 AB, while Francisco is only slugging .385 in 158 AB.
In spring training Brown struggled. But, after recovering from a broken hamate bone in his right hand, Brown has finally found his swing in the majors.
It took him a few games, but he is moving in the right direction. At 23 years young, he has a lot of time to develop and being on a veteran team like the Phillies will help him immensely.
This spring during Brown’s struggles, the Phillies coaches tried to alter his swing and batting stance. Yes, his swing and stance are very awkward, but if it works for him, why does it matter?
The coaches stopped altering his swing and Brown proceeded back to hitting the ball like he did in the minors.
Brown is a five-tool player who can contribute to the Phillies team in the field, at the plate and on the base paths. He possesses great speed and a rocket arm.
Ben Francisco, on the other hand, can be a great pinch hitter for the team, but nothing more.
Playing Brown in right field everyday will help him learn, grow and hopefully succeed to be the star outfielder of the future for the Phillies.
Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com