Phillies prospect wins Hawaii Winter Baseball League batting title

The Phillies burdened four younger prospects with the hardship of working on their games in the Hawaii Winter Baseball League. The Aloha circuit is typically for players that have full-season A-ball experience but no Double-A time. Promising outfielders Michael Taylor and Dominic Brown were joined by right-handers Kyle Drabek and Christopher Kissock on the Honolulu Sharks who posted a 17-18 record. Only Taylor, who was featured in “The Scoop” a few weeks ago, has spent significant time above Lakewood.

Brown may turn out to be the heist of the 2006 draft. An excellent athlete, many clubs never considered drafting the 6’5” 205-pounder because he had a scholarship to play wide receiver for the Miami Hurricanes. The Phillies gambled in the 20th round and were able to sign a guy with the abilities of a player taken in the top five rounds. 

Compared to Darryl Strawberry by Baseball America, Brown won the batting title in Hawaiian league by hitting .389 (28-72) with 6 2B, 3B, HR, 8 RBI, 3 SB and 15 BB in 22 games. During the regular season Brown hit .291 (129-444) with 23 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 54 RBI and 22 SB for Lakewood. He’s probably Clearwater bound in 2009.

Taylor first tore up Lakewood early on during the 2008 regular season and later did the same for Clearwater. If you missed that story check it out here. He hit .247 (21-85) with 2 HR and 10 RBI in 25 games in Hawaii. The 6’6” 250+ pound Stanford product who some have compared to Dave Winfield finished the winter season strong, however. After hitting .196 through his first 14 games, Taylor ripped the ball at a .353 (12-34) clip in his last 11 games. He could follow a similar path to Jason Donald. That is split your first pro season between Lakewood and Clearwater and take on Reading the following season. A good spring puts him in Reading on Opening Day. 

Drabek you may have heard of. The former first-round pick is the son of Cy Young winner Doug Drabek. The younger has been on the comeback trail since Tommy John Surgery. He pitched a little for the Gulf Coast and Williamsport clubs in 2008. He actually got to work out with the R-Phils for a few days this past summer when Williamsport was on their All-Star break. He appeared in five games on the island, two starts, and went 1-2 with a 3.05 ERA, 19 strikeouts in 20.2 innings. He’s got the stuff to move through the system quickly. 

Kissock was drafted in the 9th round of the 2007 draft. He finished 4th in the HWBL with a 1.69 ERA. In 12 relief appearances he pitched 21.1 innings, went 1-0, allowed 9 H, with 4 R, 4 ER, 10 BB and 23 SO. He’s probably Clearwater bound in 2009. 

This story first appeared in "The Scoop", The R-Phils digital newsletter, on November 25 and was posted online December 1, 2008