He slashed .295/.364/.473 over 307 upper-level minor league plate appearances last year. If not for the overarching story, it would be a shock to hear that only now has Daniel Brito been cleared to join Phillies minor leaguers at spring training.
On July 30, 2021, Brito collapsed on the field in Rochester, NY. He suffered a seizure and internal brain bleeding. It was possible he might never breathe on his own again, let alone relearn to walk. Yet, just seven and a half months later, Brito has been cleared by Phillies doctors to rejoin his teammates at minor league spring training.
While major leaguers have been forcibly locked out, minor league baseball remains unencumbered by CBA negotiations. Their season will begin as scheduled in early April. Brito may even go north in April with one of the Phillies minor league clubs.
Naturally, it’s still far from determined which team he might join. It’s been more than half a year since Brito last played baseball professionally, so reuniting with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, his last stop in 2021, may be a long way from coming to fruition.
In 2021, Brito slashed .296/.363/.458 with the Reading Fightin' Phils before he was promoted to Triple-A July 22. In fact, the news of his promotion is the last thing he remembers before the incident. Even so, Brito still continued his 2021 tear through nine games with Lehigh Valley, smashing two home runs and eight hits.
It’s not a foregone conclusion that Brito will play up to his former skill level, but it’s also not impossible that he’ll still be a great baseball player one day. There are too many variables to accurately predict Brito’s return.
Whether or not Brito comes back as a top prospect one thing will remain certain, even returning as a minor leaguer, his story displays more perseverance than any other ballplayer in the world today.
More From SI's Inside The Phillies:
- 18-Year-Old Phillies Prospect is Making History
- How did Philadelphia end up with Citizens Bank Park?
- Phillies Prospect Daniel Brito's Miraculous Journey Back to Baseball
- How the Phillie Phanatic Came to be America's Favorite Sports Mascot
- Why the Phillies Bench Will Determine Their Playoff Hopes
- Could These High-Profile Free Agents Sign with the Phillies?
- Predicting the Phillies 2022 Opening Day Roster
- Picking the Phillies' All-Time Single Season Lineup
- Two Former Philadelphia Phillies Among Those Who Testified in Tyler Skaggs Trial
- The Sad Story of the Phillies' First Black Ballplayer
More must-reads: