Ollie Brown
From BR Bullpen
Ollie Lee Brown
(Downtown)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 3", Weight 200 lb.
- School Long Beach City College
- High School Long Beach Polytechnic High School
- Debut September 10, 1965
- Final Game September 27, 1977
- Born February 11, 1944 in Tuscaloosa, AL USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Ollie Brown played 13 seasons in the big leagues. He was primarily a right fielder. In his best season with the bat, he hit 23 home runs with 89 RBI and a .292 batting average for the 1970 San Diego Padres, a team which hit .246 overall while playing in a pitchers' park.
Ollie was born in Tuscaloosa, AL, a town which was also the birthplace of a number of other major leaguers such as George Foster, Butch Hobson and Lee Maye. Ollie attended high school in Long Beach, CA and broke into the minors at age 18, improving as he moved up the chain. In 1964 with Fresno he hit 40 home runs and batted .329. That earned him a move up to AAA ball, where he hit 27 home runs for Tacoma. He got a shot at the majors in September 1965 with the 1965 Giants, a team which already had Willie Mays, Jesus Alou, Matty Alou, Len Gabrielson and Ken Henderson in the outfield. In spite of that, Ollie made the team the following season and got substantial playing time in 1966-67. He was down in the minors for part of 1966 and 1968.
He was the first pick of the San Diego Padres in the 1968 expansion draft, and became a regular for the Padres in 1969-71. 1972 found him with three separate teams (Padres, A's and Brewers) before he spent 1973 with the Brewers. In 1974 he was with two teams (Astros and Phillies) before closing out his career in 1975-77 with the Phillies, a team which won its division in 1976-77. With the 1975 Phillies he posted a line of .303/.369/.510 in 161 plate appearances.
He is the older brother of Oscar Brown. Another brother, Willie Brown, played in the NFL with the Rams and Eagles. Ollie had a cannon of an arm in right field. Later in his career he developed into a top pinch hitter with the Philadelphia Phillies of the late 1970s.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1964 MVP California League Fresno Giants
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 2 (1969 & 1970)
