Garrett Brown

GARRETT BROWN, CENTER FIELDER
Born: March 16, 1994
Height: 6′ 0″
Weight: 185
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Drafted: 23rd Round, 705th Overall, 2016
How Acquired: Draft
College: Western Carolina
Agent: N/A

WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE

Brown had an interesting career at Western Carolina. He played briefly in 2012, but only saw six at-bats. He then took two years off to play football. His athleticism allowed him to play running back, wide receiver, kick returner, and quarterback. He returned to baseball in 2015, but only got 34 at-bats. The 2016 season was his first full season playing baseball, and he put up some decent numbers, with a .321/.370/.435 line in 262 at-bats, with four homers and 34 stolen bases in 42 attempts. He’s got plus-plus speed, but he’s obviously raw, due to his lack of time on the baseball field the last few years. He was rated 468th overall by Baseball America for his speed and athleticism, but his age raises questions about how much his raw abilities will translate to pro ball. He signed quickly despite having one year of eligibility remaining at Western Carolina.

2016
R+:  259/303/327, 205 AB, 5 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 9 BB, 43 K, 8-9 SB

The Pirates sent Brown to Bristol, where he split his time evenly between the three outfield positions.  He got off to a good start, batting .338 through July 16.  After that, he hit .221.  For the season, his BB:K ratio obviously was very bad.

2017
A-:  273/429/273, 11 AB, 2 BB, 2 K, 2-4 SB
A:  275/314/337, 193 AB, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 9 BB, 38 K, 15-19 SB

The Pirates kept Brown back in extended spring training, then sent him to Morgantown.  After five games there, he moved up to West Virginia as the result of some roster-shuffling.  He played more or less regularly for the Power the rest of the season, with all of his time in center apart from one game in right.  He got off to a good start, batting .327 in July, but he hit only .196 after that.  So far his offense is entirely driven by his batting average, as he seldom walks and doesn’t have much power.

The Pirates will have a lot of outfield prospects moving up from the low minors, so Brown may be pressed for playing time in the future.

CONTRACT INFORMATION
2018: Minor league contract
PLAYER INFORMATION
Signing Bonus: N/A
MiLB Debut: 2016
MLB Debut:
MiLB FA Eligible: 2022
MLB FA Eligible:
Rule 5 Eligible: 2019
Added to 40-Man:
Options Remaining: 3
MLB Service Time: 0.000
TRANSACTIONS
June 11, 2016: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 23rd round, 705th overall pick; signed on June 16.