Jays sign Domonic Brown to minor league deal
According to ESPN, the former Phillies outfielder has signed a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays and has been invited to spring training. He is expected to compete for the team’s fourth outfielder spot.
“We’re going to bring him in camp and see what he can do and see what he’s got left,” Jays manager John Gibbons said, via ESPN. “We’re concentrating on adding depth to different positions in the organization, and we’ll see how it all works out.”
The 28-year-old will look to revitalize his disappointing big league career. In 2015, Brown played just 63 games for the Phillies due to an Achilles injury in the beginning of the season and a concussion suffered in early Sept. that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
But even when he was healthy, Brown struggled to maintain consistency at the plate. In 189 at-bats, he posted a slash line of .228/.284/.349 to go along with five home runs and 25 RBIs.
Brown’s career in Philadelphia did not go the way that many had hoped. After showing flashes of his potential during the 2013 season, where he finished fourth in the NL with 27 home runs and earned his first and only All-Star selection, Brown faded and was never able to recapture the promise he showed in 2013.
There was a time when Brown was poised to be the Phillies’ next great home-grown talent. The once-coveted Brown was a piece the Phillies were not willing to part with when the team was busy building a World Series contender during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Back in 2011, MLB.com rated Brown as the fourth-best prospect in all of baseball in front of names like Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Freddie Freeman.
Unfortunately, Brown never blossomed into the star the Phillies expected him to be, and with an influx of younger, more promising outfielders waiting in the wings, the club decided last Oct. that it was time to move on. Brown finished his Phillies career with just 54 home runs, 229 RBIs and a batting average of .246 over 1,591 at-bats.
Perhaps a change of scenery will go a long way towards turning his career around.
