@Philabaseball
Domonic Brown put together a solid spring, but he needs to succeed at the big league level if he wants to keep a spot in the Phillies starting lineup.
The left-handed Brown lowered his strikeout rate in 2012 and also increased his ISO, perhaps hinting at the possibility that he's maturing offensively. However, his average against left-handed pitchers dropped last year from .281 to .196.
The two graphics below are Brown's spray charts. The top is from 2012 and the bottom from 2011. To me, the item that stands out the most is the number of outs huddled near first base in the bottom chart. Essentially, it means Brown was trying to pull everything down the right field line.
In comparison, the outs appear to be more scattered on the top spray chart, especially around the infield.
Brown changed his stance late in 2012 and now stands more upright. He also adjusted his wrists so they sat closer together and stayed in the zone longer, thus allowing him to drive the ball more. The more controlled swing allows him to get the bat out faster and take the ball the other way more often.
- Patrick Gordon is the Managing Editor of the Philadelphia Baseball Review. Follow him on Twitter @Philabaseball. Contact him at pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com.
