Philadelphia Phillies: Success Across the Board After Hunter Pence Trade

The Phillies have just finished off their best 10-game road trip in franchise history by going 9-1.

A large part of the success that the Phillies have been enjoying can be attributed to Hunter Pence providing some offense in support of strong pitching.

He has only been in Philadelphia for 12 games, but he is batting .347 with three home runs and nine RBI. So far, I think that most people would consider this a good trade. Of course, in five or 10 years, the success of this trade will be determined by how well the prospects that the Phillies traded turned out.

For now, though, the Phillies seem to have made a good deal.

The other implication of this trade was obviously that Domonic Brown went down to Triple-A to be repositioned in left field. However, this move sounds like it is going pretty well so far as well.

According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer last week, Brown seemed optimistic about the move:

“They told me keep my head up and keep working, and they had great plans for the future and present as well. I took it for what it was worth and came down and got to work.”

His confidence was not shaken by being demoted, and that is very important.

His batting average has been slipping a little bit during this latest stay in Lehigh Valley. Over his last 10 games, he is only batting .206. One incredibly bright spot, however, is that his on-base percentage is up to .364 during this time.

It is so much higher than his batting average because he is actually drawing walks. The hits will start coming, and Brown will be an effective Phillie again next year.

Overall, the Phillies seem to be stronger because of that trade and Brown is getting the playing time he needs to learn left Field.

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