Jeremy Brown (Getty Images)
Jeremy Brown Update
A reader requested that I give an update about Jeremy Brown of the Oakland system, the famous stathead favorite catcher from Moneyball.
Brown came into 2005 needing a breakthrough. He's done OK as a pro, but not as good as statheads thought he would do. Career numbers entering '05: .273/.391/.404, mostly at Double-A Midland. He's shown excellent plate discipline and a high walk rate, but his power hasn't developed as expected. His defense has improved, albeit not to the point where his glove will get him into the lineup by itself. Traditionalists, skeptical from the beginning about Brown due to his lack of athleticism, burst into a raucous chorus of "we told you so" after his relatively disappointing '04 season.
Through 28 games at Double-A Midland this spring, Brown is hitting .250/.405/.432, very much in line with his previous numbers though with a slight spike in power. I haven't seen him this year, but I saw him in both '03 and '04. He has the aforementioned plate discipline and some pretty good bat speed, but in the games I've seen he's tended to hit the ball hard and low, lots of line drives, few deep flies. I think we'll see some gradual increase in his power, but I don't think his swing will ever be conducive to large home run totals.
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