Skip to main content

2019 Phillies Prospects Countdown: #16 2B Daniel Brito

Daniel Brito, image- Jay Floyd
Venezuelan second baseman Daniel Brito has steadily stood out as a talented performer throughout his pro career and is among the Phillies' most promising prospects.

Signed by the Phillies in 2014 at the age of 16 for a reported $650,000, Brito would participate in that year's fall instructional league.  He made his official debut the following year with the Dominican Summer League team. In 60 games there, the six-foot-one 170-pounder would tally a .269 average with 10 doubles, three triples and 19 RBI while swiping eight bases.

He debuted stateside in 2016 as part of the Rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies. There he batted .284 with 10 doubles, five triples, two home runs and 25 RBI while stealing seven bases in 47 games.

In 2017, Brito was able to put his skills on display in the full season Class A South Atlantic League as a member of the Lakewood BlueClaws. As a 19-year-old, Brito sported a .239 average with 15 doubles, a triple, six homers, 32 RBI and 12 stolen bases over 112 contests. The full season seemed to wear on the youngster, as his hot start (.826 OPS in April) could not be matched the rest of the way (his best OPS month after April was .618 in August).

He opened the 2018 campaign back with Lakewood, something that coaches felt bothered the talented youngster, as he saw many of his teammates from the previous year move up a level. In 92 games for Lakewood, Brito tallied a .252 average with four homers, 31 RBI and 15 steals.

Brito was promoted to Class A Advanced Clearwater in August. In 27 games for the Threshers, he sported a .250 average with five doubles, two triples and seven RBI.

Organizational coaches were pleased with the progress Brito made throughout the season last year. Following a slow start (.171 avg in April), he hit at a .268 clip the rest of the way during the regular season. Lakewood's hitting coach Tyler Henson cited Brito’s progress with putting together quality at bats and not worrying about the results.

The left-handed hitter looks small and thin, but often puts the barrel to the ball and displays an ability to really drive the ball. If he adds some muscle, the power portion of his game could be quite exciting. Brito already shows an ability to make adjustments and hit the ball well to the opposite field.

With the ability to work the count, Brito can draw plenty of walks as well.  

Brito is a smooth defender. With solid range and very good hands, the 21-year-old has the tools to become very reliable for a long a time with an above average skill set. He has spent some time at shortstop during his professional career as well, so that versatility could help him obtain playing time at the upper levels.

On the bases, Brito’s got solid speed and good instincts that he could really use to contribute.

A class clown of sorts, Brito keeps the dugout and clubhouse loose. He’s a player that can pick a teammate up mentally, when needed.  He’ll also lead by example and is an individual that is easy to root for.

Former Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan offered the following endorsement of Brito in the first half of the 2017 season.

“Brito, you know, honestly, five years from now, he might be the best hitter of the bunch,” Jordan told me in relation to the Phillies’ outstanding crop of second basemen that included Scott Kingery as well as Cesar Hernandez.

Look for Brito to open this coming season back with Clearwater for a lengthier taste of the Florida State League. If what Jordan felt during his tenure in charge of the organization’s developmental ranks is on point, it may not be long before Brito is among the handful of names that fans regard as the top few in the Phils’ system with a bright future in the big leagues.

You can keep tabs on this year's complete Phillies top prospects countdown by clicking this link.    

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Justin De Fratus Interview Excerpts- May, 2011

Armed with a 2-0 record, 3 saves and a 2.95 ERA in 15 games this season for the Double A Reading Phillies, Justin De Fratus continues to make strides toward his goal of reaching the Major Leagues. Ranked as a top 10 prospect within the Phillies system last off-season, the 23-year-old De Fratus was in camp with the Phillies during big league spring training. In 3 games with the Phils during the Grapefruit League season, De Fratus allowed 4 earned runs in 4 innings and took a loss. He did strike out an impressive 5 batters in those 4 frames, however. Drafted in the 11th round of the 2007 amateur draft, De Fratus stood out as a force in relief last year for both the High A Clearwater Threshers and the R-Phils. In 49 combined games at the two levels, De Fratus posted a 3-0 record with 21 saves and a 1.94 ERA. De Fratus continued his excellent 2011 by pitching for Team USA in the Pan-American qualifiers held in Puerto Rico, helping the Americans finish with a 9-1 record. He also posted out...

Bubby Rossman's long awaited MLB debut

Eight years after he initially signed a professional contract with the Dodgers and a five-year stretch playing away from affiliated ball, Bubby Rossman became a major leaguer on Wednesday. Added as a substitute for pitcher Kyle Gibson, who is restricted from travel to Canada for the Phillies' series in Toronto, due to his medical inability to be vaccinated from COVID-19, Rossman took the mound for the first time in the majors. Rossman, who was a 22nd round draft selection in 2014 had pitched in 200 professional games before his one-inning outing in the Phillies' 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. In 27 appearances with Double-A Reading this year, the 30-year-old right-hander has performed well, tallying a 2-2 record with a save, a 3.32 ERA and a .200 batting average against.   The embedded video below features a media session with Rossman from prior to opening day this year, in which the California native discusses his journey through independent baseball and back to affiliated ball w...

Series Preview: Braves at Phillies, August 6-8

The Braves (62-46) travel to Philadelphia to begin a three-game series with the Phillies (49-59) on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. In the past month, the two clubs have faced each other in two separate series, with the Braves winning all six of the contests. Atlanta’s recent dominance over the Phils is the opposite of how things went last season, when the Phillies handed the Braves six losses toward the end of the 2011 season. Those defeats shut the door on Atlanta’s postseason hopes. Read ahead for notes on the pitching the match ups and additional statistical information on this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Ben Sheets (3-1, 1.46 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (6-6, 3.63 ERA). In 9 career starts against the Phillies, Sheets has a 3-4 record with a 4.50 ERA. Ty Wigginton is 12-for-36 (.333 avg) with 2 doubles and 2 HR in his career against Sheets. The righty Sheets was the Brewers' 1st round draft pick in 1999. In his last 5 starts, Worley has a 2-1 record with a 4.06 ERA. In 9 home s...