Phan In Phlorida wrote:
Dunno if this was posted yet...

"I come from making the All-Star team last year to platooning and playing every second or third day," Brown told The News Journal. "It's definitely different. I just wish I could be in there every day. I don't know if they've got a different plan or what. I know they want to see other guys, which is fine with me."

Brown said he doesn't know what else he needs to do win back his full-time job in left field. He was told coming into the season he would be the everyday guy in left field, which happened for three months until his struggles emerged and the outfield became more crowded with the signing of Grady Sizemore in June. Brown has said previously that he has a good relationship with Sandberg dating to their time together in the minor leagues.

When asked if he had talked to Sandberg about what he needs to do to play every day, Brown suggested Sandberg isn't the one making decisions about the Phillies' lineup.

"I don't necessarily think that it's up to Ryno, you know what I mean?" Brown said. "He's just the manager. It's whatever the guys up top [in the front office] have in store, what their plans are. We'll see."

Statistically, Brown is enduring his worst season since he was a 22-year-old rookie in 2010. He hasn't been able to recapture the success he found last year when he delivered career highs in every relevant category, including home runs (27), RBIs (83) and batting average (.272), as part of his first and thus far only All-Star season.

Brown, 26, believes the only difference between the hitter he was last year and the hitter he is this year has been a bad month in May when he hit .146 and a lack of consistent at-bats. Brown added that the decrease in his power numbers – eight home runs and a slugging percentage that is nearly .150 lower than last year – can also be linked to fewer reps at the plate.

moar

Grotewold wrote:I could see him regaining some plate discipline on another team, but I think his swing is too fundamentally flawed for sustained success. The great month last year was hacking at middle-in fastballs that he doesn't see anymore.

Werthless wrote:Brown's balance at the plate is just awful. Is that how he hits off a tee, too? It's not surprising that he's ranked 250th (out of 288) in MLB in flyball distance (sandwiched between Adam Eaton and Dioner Navarro).

I was looking through old Brown swing videos, and you can see how much more he leans back in 2013 onward (11 second mark) than before (2:19 mark). If you found a 2014 video, it would likely look even worse than the 2013 video I found.

Grotewold wrote:I agree on stashing him at Lehigh, which I'm sure Boras would love

Werthless wrote:Brown's balance at the plate is just awful. Is that how he hits off a tee, too? It's not surprising that he's ranked 250th (out of 288) in MLB in flyball distance (sandwiched between Adam Eaton and Dioner Navarro).

sydnor wrote:I don't doubt werthless is right when he talks about this balance thing, but I don't see it. At 2:19 in the clip, what do you mean he's leaning back? When he actually makes contact he's pretty forward no? Certainly at the same level as :11 in the first clip.

I think we're too quick to dismiss the several different markers that show Brown is capable/knows how to hit. I saw ashton mention that it was obvious that he wasn't great even in the minors. Bullshit. He's not the same thing as Anthony Hewitt, he's just not.

There's something there. I'm reasonably sure the Phillies/Brown are not capable of unlocking it, so whatever. But I'd rather mess around with him than most of the retreads.