Five Phillies prospects who could break out in 2018
By John Town
Daniel Brito
I wrote about Daniel Brito a year ago saying 2017 could be the year he breaks out. After a strong stateside debut in the GCL in 2016, I was optimistic about what Brito could do in Lakewood last year.
Well, I was wrong. Brito had a strong April, posting a .327/.377/.449 line. However, his batting average on balls in play was .420 that month, and everything fell apart once that lowered. Brito finished the year with a .239 average and .615 OPS.
Brito is a solid defender at second base, but that’s not enough to get to the majors. Scouts like his hit tool, but Brito’s strikeout rate jumped and his walk rate dropped compared to 2016. He was 2.5 years younger than the average player in the South Atlantic League, so perhaps with another year of experience he can perform better.
Brito still has that same smooth hit stroke, he just needs to improve physically. He will likely have another year in Lakewood and just turned 20 years old. Players often find more success in their second year at a certain level, and Brito has the raw talent to find a breakout year.