Philadelphia Phillies: Domonic Brown Most Likely Begins 2012 in Triple-A

When will Domonic Brown finally land in Philadelphia to stay? Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Jim Bowden of ESPN that John Mayberry Jr. and Laynce Nix will most likely start the year as the left field platoon.

In Bowden's words, "Unless Dominic Brown really wows them in ST [Spring Training]... he goes to AAA."

Phillies fans have to be wondering how much longer this will go on. Last year, Domonic Brown was thought to be the answer to the departure of free agent Jayson Werth. However, that didn't quite end up as the Phillies planned or hoped.

Brown ended up appearing in only 56 games and hit just .245 with five home runs and 19 RBI. Eventually, because of this lack of production as well as the acquisition of Hunter Pence, Brown was sent down to AAA to learn how to play left field and prepare for 2012.

However, that didn't work as well as the Phillies had planned it either. In 41 games at Lehigh Valley, Brown only managed to hit .261 with three home runs and 15 RBI. According to Todd Zolecki of Phillies.com, Brown's confidence was shaken by his difficult stretch. Losing confidence is never healthy for anyone.

Of course, Brown hadn't been having a lot of success and he also was trying to learn that new position, but he also did not quite develop into the left fielder that the Phillies were expecting for 2012 either.

What this doesn't mean is that Brown is necessarily a bust. He has the tools to put it together again.

However, this news definitely does mean that the Phillies are going to be patient. They are not trying to rush Brown and are not putting much pressure on him to instantly be a contributing piece at the Major League level. Perhaps this will be a more successful approach.