Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Mike Brown played 9 seasons, including 2 as pitcher, made AA

Michael Brown 1990 Welland Pirates card
Salem's Mike Brown got just enough of the ball in his pinch-hit appearance this night in August 1993 to drive home the run, The Roanoke Times wrote.

The run turned out to be the only run of the night in the 1-0 Salem victory, The Times wrote.

"The first two were fastballs, one outside and one inside," Brown told The Times of his game-winning at bat. "After the second pitch, I was picking up the ball coming out of his hand. Then he threw me another fastball. It was probably inside for a ball, but I managed to get enough bat on it."

Brown hit that game-winner in his fifth season as a pro. He went on to play in four more - and make the switch to pitching, but his career topped out at AA.

Brown's career began in 1989, taken by the Pirates in the fifth round of the draft out of Vacaville High School in California. Brown was also credited by his full name, Michael Brown.

Brown started with the Pirates in the rookie Gulf Coast League as a first baseman. He hit .221 in 39 at bats and knocked in 11.

He moved to short-season Welland for 1990. He hit .292 over 65 games there. He made single-A Augusta for 1991 and stayed there for 1992.

Brown then made high-A Salem for 1993. He hit a single to load the bases in another August Salem win. He hit .271 over 126 games that year, with a career-high 21 home runs.

Brown spent all of 1994 and 60 games in 1995 at AA Carolina. He picked up two hits in a June 1994 game and an RBI single in a July contest. That April in 1994, he hit four doubles in a game.

Overall, Brown hit .249 in 1994 and .238 in 1995. Then, for 1996, he returned to the field as a pitcher. He saw 34 outings, 11 starts at high-A Lynchburg that year. He ended with a 1-5 record and a 7.14 ERA.

Brown saw three more outings in 1997, two in the Gulf Coast League and one at Carolina to end his career.
Michael Brown 1990 Welland Pirates card

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:3,309
Made the Majors:1,186-35.8%
Never Made Majors:2,123-64.2%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 491
10+ Seasons in the Minors:286

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