Chris Brown (baseball player)
Encyclopedia
John Christopher Brown was an American
third baseman
in Major League Baseball
during the 1980s, most notably with the San Francisco Giants
.
, Brown was a notable graduate of Crenshaw High School
in Los Angeles, California
, where he played high school baseball with Darryl Strawberry
. The 1979 Crenshaw High Cougars baseball team was the subject of Michael Sokolove's The Ticket Out: Darryl Strawberry and the Boys of Crenshaw.
Brown was selected by the Giants in the 2nd round (44th overall) during the 1979 amateur draft.
.261 with 16 home run
s and 61 runs batted in
for the last-place Giants
, made the All-Rookie team, and finished 4th in the National League
Rookie of the Year
voting (Vince Coleman
of the St. Louis Cardinals
won the award by unanimous vote); Brown also led the NL in times being hit by pitch
(11). In , Brown batted .317 and made the NL All-Star
team after hitting nearly .350 in the season's first half.
At the end of 1986 he complained of shoulder soreness, and when initial exams turned up no serious injury, teammates and the media accused him of bailing out. That offseason, an examination by Dr. Frank Jobe in Los Angeles discovered that there was indeed a serious problem, and surgery was performed that winter. The following season, with Brown hitting a paltry .242 after 38 games, the Giants
sent him packing on July 5 along with Keith Comstock
, Mark Davis, and Mark Grant
in a blockbuster midseason trade to the San Diego Padres
in exchange for Kevin Mitchell, Dave Dravecky
, and Craig Lefferts
.
, Brown was dealt to the Detroit Tigers
and was out of baseball by 1989 at the age of 28. In his career he batted .269 with 38 home runs, 184 RBI, 164 runs
, 410 hits
and 21 stolen base
s in 449 games.
Brown was noted for missing a remarkable number of games (over 250 between 1984 and 1988) due to bizarre claimed injuries such as a bruised tooth, and he was nicknamed "Jake" by teammates convinced he was no more than a malingerer. The last straw for Tigers manager Sparky Anderson
in 1989 came when Brown missed a game after complaining that he "slept on his eye wrong." The Tigers released him soon thereafter, and Brown never returned to the major leagues.
with his wife Lisa and their two children, Paris Brown and Gordon Pickett, after retirement.
In 2004, Brown worked in Iraq driving an 18-wheel truck delivering diesel fuel for Halliburton
. He took fire on numerous occasions, including in a convoy that was attacked on April 9, 2004, in which six Halliburton drivers and one soldier were killed and another driver kidnapped and later released.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/05/23/SPGPK6QJLN1.DTL By 2006, Brown had returned to the United States.
Brown died at Memorial Hermann Hospital
in Houston on December 26, 2006, nearly a month after he suffered burns in a fire on November 30 at a vacant house he owned in Sugar Land, Texas
. He was 45 years of age. Police have never determined if his death was a homicide, suicide, or an accident.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
during the 1980s, most notably with the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
.
Early life
Born in Jackson, MississippiJackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, Brown was a notable graduate of Crenshaw High School
Crenshaw High School
Crenshaw High School is a secondary school located in South Los Angeles, California.The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls an average of 2,600 students. Its address is 5010 11th Avenue, near the corner of 50th Street. The school colors are blue and gold, and its mascot is the...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, where he played high school baseball with Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Eugene Strawberry is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder who is well-known both for his play on the field and for his controversial behavior off it...
. The 1979 Crenshaw High Cougars baseball team was the subject of Michael Sokolove's The Ticket Out: Darryl Strawberry and the Boys of Crenshaw.
Brown was selected by the Giants in the 2nd round (44th overall) during the 1979 amateur draft.
San Francisco Giants
After a steady climb through the Giants minor league system, Brown made his major league debut for them in as a September call-up. In his first full season in , Brown battedBatting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.261 with 16 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 61 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
for the last-place Giants
1985 San Francisco Giants season
-Offseason:* November 5, 1984: Guy Sularz was released by the San Francisco Giants.* December 3, 1984: Doug Gwosdz was drafted by the Giants from the San Diego Padres in the 1984 rule 5 draft....
, made the All-Rookie team, and finished 4th in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
Rookie of the Year
MLB Rookie of the Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America . The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946...
voting (Vince Coleman
Vince Coleman
Vincent Maurice Coleman is an American former Major League Baseball player, best known for his years with the St. Louis Cardinals. Primarily a left fielder, Coleman played from to and set a number of stolen base records. He was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed.-Biography:Coleman attended...
of the St. Louis Cardinals
1985 St. Louis Cardinals season
The St. Louis Cardinals' 1985 season was the team's 104th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 94th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 101-61 during the season and finished in first place in the National League East division by three games over the New York Mets...
won the award by unanimous vote); Brown also led the NL in times being hit by pitch
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
(11). In , Brown batted .317 and made the NL All-Star
1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 57th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 15, 1986 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, the home of the...
team after hitting nearly .350 in the season's first half.
At the end of 1986 he complained of shoulder soreness, and when initial exams turned up no serious injury, teammates and the media accused him of bailing out. That offseason, an examination by Dr. Frank Jobe in Los Angeles discovered that there was indeed a serious problem, and surgery was performed that winter. The following season, with Brown hitting a paltry .242 after 38 games, the Giants
1987 San Francisco Giants season
The 1987 San Francisco Giants season saw the Giants finish in first place in the National League West with a record of 90 wins and 72 losses. They lost the National League Championship Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.-Offseason:...
sent him packing on July 5 along with Keith Comstock
Keith Comstock
Keith Martin Comstock is a former left-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He went to high school in San Carlos, California. He played for the Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners over his six-year career. He also played for the Yomiuri Giants in...
, Mark Davis, and Mark Grant
Mark Grant
Mark Andrew Grant is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher and is the current color commentator for the San Diego Padres' television broadcasts.-Career:...
in a blockbuster midseason trade to the San Diego Padres
1987 San Diego Padres season
The San Diego Padres season was the 19th in franchise history. Rookie catcher Benito Santiago hit in 34 straight games, earning him the NL Rookie of the Year Award.-Offseason:* October 9, 1986: Dane Iorg was released by the Padres....
in exchange for Kevin Mitchell, Dave Dravecky
Dave Dravecky
David Francis Dravecky is a Christian motivational speaker, author, and former Major League Baseball player for the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants...
, and Craig Lefferts
Craig Lefferts
Craig Lindsay Lefferts was a relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs , San Diego Padres , San Francisco Giants , Baltimore Orioles , Texas Rangers and California Angels...
.
San Diego Padres and Detroit Tigers
Brown's play declined further as the year progressed, and he ended the year with a .237 average; the Giants went on to win the NL Western division, and the Padres finished in last place. After dropping to a .235 average in for San Diego1988 San Diego Padres season
The 1988 season was the 20th season in Padres history. Tony Gwynn set a National League record by having the lowest batting average to win a batting title...
, Brown was dealt to the Detroit Tigers
1989 Detroit Tigers season
The Detroit Tigers' 1989 season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Detroit Tigers attempting to win the AL East.-Offseason:* November 16, 1988: Ray Knight was released by the Tigers....
and was out of baseball by 1989 at the age of 28. In his career he batted .269 with 38 home runs, 184 RBI, 164 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
, 410 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and 21 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s in 449 games.
Brown was noted for missing a remarkable number of games (over 250 between 1984 and 1988) due to bizarre claimed injuries such as a bruised tooth, and he was nicknamed "Jake" by teammates convinced he was no more than a malingerer. The last straw for Tigers manager Sparky Anderson
Sparky Anderson
George Lee "Sparky" Anderson was an American Major League Baseball manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third title in 1984 with the Detroit Tigers of the American League. He was the first manager to win the World Series in both...
in 1989 came when Brown missed a game after complaining that he "slept on his eye wrong." The Tigers released him soon thereafter, and Brown never returned to the major leagues.
Life after baseball
Chris Brown lived in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
with his wife Lisa and their two children, Paris Brown and Gordon Pickett, after retirement.
In 2004, Brown worked in Iraq driving an 18-wheel truck delivering diesel fuel for Halliburton
Halliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
. He took fire on numerous occasions, including in a convoy that was attacked on April 9, 2004, in which six Halliburton drivers and one soldier were killed and another driver kidnapped and later released.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/05/23/SPGPK6QJLN1.DTL By 2006, Brown had returned to the United States.
Brown died at Memorial Hermann Hospital
Memorial Hermann Hospital
Memorial Hermann Healthcare System is the largest not-for-profit hospital system in Houston, Texas, and consists of 11 hospitals, 7 Cancer Centers, 3 Heart & Vascular Institutes, and 27 sports medicine and rehabilitation centers, in addition to other outpatient and rehabilitation centers. It was...
in Houston on December 26, 2006, nearly a month after he suffered burns in a fire on November 30 at a vacant house he owned in Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
. He was 45 years of age. Police have never determined if his death was a homicide, suicide, or an accident.
External links
- BaseballLibrary - profile
- The Baseball Cube - major and minor league statistics
- Houston Chronicle obituary
- Ex-major leaguer Chris Brown killed in fire