Toronto Blue Jays Prospect Profile: Outfielder Devonte Brown
23 days ago
In 1,000 years from now, the age-old question of how Devonte Brown went undrafted will still be asked.
The Hinesville, Georgia native spent five seasons at North Carolina State from 2018-2022, only becoming a regular in his fourth season at the school. In his final season, Brown slashed .304/.433/.570 with 15 homers in 291 plate appearances, but went undrafted in the 2022 draft.
Toronto signed him as an undrafted free agent shortly after, and in turn, Brown has provided the team with one of the best bats in the organization since joining the team.
Getting to know Devonte Brown
After signing with the Jays, the outfielder’s impact with the bat was immediately noticeable. With the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays in 2022, Brown slashed .308/.477/.449 with two home runs and a higher BB% (22.4%) than K% (19.6%) in 107 plate appearances.
For players with 100 or more plate appearances, Brown led all hitters that season with a 171 wRC+, beating out Addison Barger’s 151 wRC+, albeit it was a small sample size.
Brown found himself in High-A to start the 2023 season, where he slashed .240/.357/.445 with 14 homers in 339 plate appearances. While his eye was still great at the plate, posting a 14.5 BB%, his K% jumped to 28.9%.
There was an added dimension to his game as well though, as Brown stole 18 bases in 19 attempts, showcasing speed on the bases that wasn’t even prevalent during his tenure at North Carolina State.
Brown deservedly earned a promotion to Double-A before the end of the season, where he slashed .222/.338/.492 with four homers in 74 plate appearances. Once again, the eye at the dish was still there as he had a 14.9 BB%, but his BB% once again rose to 32.4%.
Between the two levels in 2023, Brown slashed .237/.354/.454 with 18 homers (tied for fifth-most in the organization) in 413 plate appearances. He had a 14.5 BB% and a 29.5 K%, while stealing 21 bases in 22 attempts. Overall, his 120 wRC+ was tied for 16th with a minimum of 100 plate appearances.
So far in the 2024 season, Brown has spent the entire year in New Hampshire and is slashing .269/.378/.419 with five homers (two of which were inside the park home runs) in 196 plate appearances. Now, there are concerns about his game, for example, he has a 37.28K% which is very high, along with a .455 BABIP, a rather sustainable number.
Still, the 24-year-old outfielder’s 130 wRC+ is tied for the sixth in the organization with a minimum of 100 plate appearances, alongside fellow D-Brown, Dasan Brown. Since the beginning of the 2022 season, Brown’s 130 wRC+ ranks fourth-highest in the organization (min:500 plate appearances), below Horwitz, Alan Roden, and Davis Schneider.
Brown has speed, outfield defence, a good eye at the plate, and power. However, as he progresses in the upper-minors, that K% will need to drop for him to find success, especially in Buffalo and potentially the big leagues.
Still, he’s an interesting prospect to monitor as the season goes along.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.
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