June 28, 2010

2004 alumni making their marks in the minors

Top prospect Brown steps closer to big leagues

Domonic Brown on June 5, 2010, playing against the Portland Sea Dogs for the Double-A Reading Phillies.

Domonic Brown, a pitcher and outfielder for the 2004 Dade City, Fla., team that made it to the semifinal round before being knocked out by eventual World Series champion Freehold Township, N.J., was promoted recently by the Philadelphia Phillies to their AAA affiliate.

Now a right fielder, Brown was among the league leaders in the AA Eastern League while playing for the Reading Phillies. He was batting .318 with 15 home runs, 47 runs batted in, and 12 stolen bases. He was first in the league in slugging percentage (.602), second in on-base percentage-plus slugging (.902), fourth in batting average, sixth in hits (75), third in home runs, and sixth in RBIs before the promotion.

He debuted with the Phillies’ AAA affiliate Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Pa.) Iron Pigs on June 25, going 1-for-4 against the Durham Bulls in Durham, N.C.

Considered the top prospect in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system, Brown will play in the Future’s All-Star game in Anaheim, Calif., as part of Major League Baseball’s All-Star festivities at Angel Stadium in Anaheim next month.

Brown was picked by the Phillies in the 20th round of the 2006 draft. He hit .529 (7-for-17) with a double and two triples and two RBIs in the 2004 World Series, where his team lost in the semifinal round to eventual champion Freehold Township, N.J.

The Senior League World Series caught up with Brown on June 5 when Reading played the Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox). You can listen to the interview here.

Cuneo drafted by Cubs

Ryan Cuneo, batting in the 2005 Senior League World Series.

The Chicago Cubs selected Freehold Township, N.J.’s Ryan Cuneo in the 20th round of the Major League Baseball draft earlier this month. A first baseman, Cuneo played on the 2004 Senior League World Series champion and again in the 2005 series.

Selected 610th overall on June 8, the left-handed hitting Cuneo played college ball at the University of Delaware, where he became a starter his sophomore year. He finished his college career with 40 home runs, a .321 batting average, 200 hits, and 173 RBIs. The 40 home runs are the most by a left-handed hitter in Delaware Blue Hens history.

In his two Senior League World Series appearances in Bangor, Cuneo was only 3-for-14 (.143) in 2004, with two singles and a double. He had three RBIs. In 2005, when Freehold lost in the semifinal round, Cuneo went 7-for-20 (.350) with two doubles and a triple, driving in five runs.

Cuneo becomes the second 2004 Freehold player to play professionally, as teammate Brett Brach is pitching in the Cleveland Indians organization. Brach was chosen by the Indians in the 10th round of the 2009 draft as the 305th overall pick.

The Cubs assigned Cuneo to the organization’s Arizona Rookie League program, where Cuneo debuted on June 22. Through four games as of June 25, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound left-handed hitter who throws right-handed was 6-for-16 (.375) at the plate, with a double, a triple, and a home run, along with five runs batted in.

Brach, pitching for the Lake County Captains in the Class A Midwest League, is 0-4 with a 3.98 ERA in 10 pro career appearances, with eight of those appearances starts.