Lew Brown
From BR Bullpen
Lewis J. Brown (Blower)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Weight 185 lb.
- Debut June 17, 1876
- Final Game October 19, 1884
- Born February 1, 1858 in Leominster, MA USA
- Died January 15, 1889 in Boston, MA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Lew Brown played catcher and first base in the new National League and then later in the American Association and in the Union Association. In addition to catcher and first, he occasionally appeared in the outfield and had two pitching appearances.
Brown had started his career as primarily a catcher but moved to first base as he got older. In the 1884 Union Association, however, he played more catcher than anything else.
Brown was apparently a star at a young age (one site calls him "much heralded") as he had the best range factor among catchers in 1876 when he was 18 years old.
Brown had an excellent year with the bat in 1878 when he was second in the league in both doubles and RBI.
Brown's teams were almost always above average. In 1877 his 1877 Boston Red Caps won the pennant. Oddly, in both 1879 and 1883 he started the season with a pennant-winning team but finished the season with another team.
He was added to the "blacklist" at a 1881 National League Meeting barring him from playing for or against any NL team. He was reinstated in 1883.
