Clearwater Report: Dom Down, Papelbon Praises Philly and Position Battles
Dominic Brown is in camp this spring training searching for one thing, a slot on the 25-man roster. He has been working all off-season and all of this spring training to earn a spot on the Phillies bench. His path has just gotten a bit tougher. Brown has been out since Monday with a sprained right thumb. He obtained this injury when he dove after he took a poor route to a ball in a Grapefruit League game against the New York Yankees. Brown subsequently had X-rays on Wednesday and he also had an MRI scheduled for today. The Phillies training staff is saying that they don’t expect it to be anything serious, but that they are taking precautions. This time out will surely hurt Brown’s already battered bid for a bench slot. In three games so far this spring training, he is 2-8 with one triple and one walk. Even if he drastically improves his numbers, expect him to start the season with the triple-A Lehigh Valley Ironpigs.
Today Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon spoke out and, unlike most players in professional sports, said nice things about Philadelphia. He was on 94WIP and said that Phillies fans “tend to know the game better” than Red Sox fans. Not only did he praise Phillies fans he slighted Sox fans. Boston fans were “a little bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball.”
Later in the same interview it was brought up about Papelbon’s entrance song. During his tenure with the Red Sox he would always exit the bullpen with “Shipping Up To Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys playing. The front man for the group and Papelbon’s friend, Ken Casey, came out and said that Papelbon couldn’t use the song anymore. Papelbon has a new entrance song lined up, but didn’t reveal the track. He did say though that it is not by the Dropkick Murphys.
Since my last Clearwater Report, the Phillies went 3-2 in their games. Again, the results of the games aren’t really relevant, but what is relevant and what we will look at is individual stats of players in a battle for a spot.
Scott Posednik vs. Juan Pierre: These two speedy outfielders are vying for a bench position on the 25-man roster. Posednik has participated in six games so far. In those games, he has gotten 10 at-bats, scored three runs and notched four hits. Even you math ignoramuses can figure out that he has a .400 batting average. Also it is good to note that three of those four hits are doubles. He has two free-passes and one stolen base. Pierre has gotten in to four games. He has gotten eight at-bats and got three hits. He also has scored three runs. The former Dodger and White Sock earned two walks and stole one base.
Leader: It is a close race; both guys are off to a decent start. I’d give the advantage to Posednik.
Dave Bush vs. Pitching Depth: Veteran Dave Bush is still confident about his stuff and still believes he should be on an MLB roster. The problem is he plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies have a dynamic starting rotation and a deep bullpen. Bush had a rough outing against the Pirates, giving up three earned runs in 2 and 1/3 innings of work. Even if Bush posts decent numbers for the rest of spring training, still look for him to be starting the season at the home of the Ironpigs, Coca-Cola Park.
Leader: Hands down it is the depth. You can’t put two tons of sh*t in a one ton hole. Bush will get relegated to triple-A.
Brown vs. Himself: This battle isn’t as intense as the Supreme Court case of Brown vs. The Board of Education, but I bet there will be a unanimous decision in this one too. Dom Brown has had his cups of coffee in the big leagues. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has even admitted to rushing Brown in to the MLB when he probably wasn’t ready. Brown now finds himself struggling in triple-A and searching for consistency that will for his sake, lead to a promising MLB career. An injury in the most important spring training so far during his professional career isn’t helping and I just don’t think he has the stuff to play consistently at this high level.
Leader: Himself has a comfortable lead. Brown is just struggling right as a baseball player. One of the most highly touted prospects, Brown should be at Lehigh Valley most of the 2012 season.
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