Philadelphia Phillies: The Dom Brown Injury and Why It's Not a Bad Thing

Philadelphia Phillies star rookie prospect Domonic Brown fractured the hamate bone of his right hand during an at-bat in last Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Clearwater, Florida.

This was a major blow to a player who had just gotten his first hit this spring training after looking lost since the start of the preseason.

While the injury has derailed Brown’s spring, the Phillies may be better off without him, at least for now.

The following slideshow shows why the Phillies will be fine without Dom Brown in the short term.

5. Too Much Pressure!

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

CLEARWATER, FL - FEBRUARY 24: Outfielder Domonic Brown #9 of the Philadelphia Phillies fields a ball in right field against the Florida State Seminoles February 24, 2011 at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Imag

Domonic Brown is considered one of the top prospects in the game of baseball and the hype surrounding him this year was off the charts.

With the departure of veteran Jayson Werth, people expected Dom Brown to step in and try to fill the production lost.

Those expectations were too lofty, and taking him out of the equation for awhile will help his psyche in the long run.

4. A Little Time in the Minors Won't Be Bad

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

ANAHEIM, CA - JULY 11: U.S. Futures All-Star Domonic Brown #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies slides into second base safely during the 2010 XM All-Star Futures Game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 11, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Stephen Dun

What every player needs to get into a rhythm of swinging the bat and playing the field is playing time.

When Brown comes back, it would be wise for the Phillies to let him play a few weeks in the minors to get his confidence and his swing back.

Maybe facing minor league pitching will wake his bat up and he can carry that momentum into the majors.

3. Brown Hasn't Played Well

Nick Laham/Getty Images

CLEARWATER, FL - FEBRUARY 22: Domonic Brown #9 of the Philadelphia Phillies poses for a photo during Spring Training Media Photo Day at Bright House Networks Field on February 22, 2011 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

To say that Domonic Brown was struggling in the six games he played in would be an understatement.

The Phillies outfielder came into the season with hype that called for him to reach numbers like Jayson Werth’s and win the starting outfield position.

In Brown's short stint in Clearwater this spring, he had only one hit, a batting average of .063, an on-base percentage of .211 and a slugging percentage of .063.

That’s not good any way you look at it.

2. Ease Back into the Lineup

Al Bello/Getty Images

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 28: Robinson Cano #24 of the New York Yankees turns a double play over a slifind Ben Francisco #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies on a ball hit by Pedro Feliz #7 in the top of the seventh inning of Game One of the 2009 MLB World Series a

The key for Dom Brown’s success this season will be Coach Charlie Manuel easing him back into the lineup.

Hopefully, whoever gets the starting job in the outfield will be doing well enough that Brown’s presence won’t be immediately needed.

The Phillies would be wise to bring him up from the minors slowly and get him into the lineup slowly to keep up his confidence.

1. Ben Francisco

J. Meric/Getty Images

TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 26: Outfielder Ben Francisco #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies advances to third against the New York Yankees during a Grapefruit League Spring Training Game at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 26, 2011 in Tampa, Florida. (Ph

While everyone expected Dom Brown to be the starter, veteran Ben Francisco brought his A-game to camp.

Ben Francisco played solid last season but didn’t show much explosiveness or potential. This offseason, he considered the job open and decided to take the job by force.

Francisco has managed a .364 batting average, a.417 on-base percentage and an .818 slugging percentage during this spring training season.

With the injury to Brown, Francisco has the reins and it’s up to him to translate his early success into regular season success.