Willard Brown

Willard Brown

Willard Brown’s unusual story begins with a traditional beginning. Brown was born in Louisiana and grew up on the local sandlot. In 1934, he was given the opportunity to play for money and took it. Three years later he was on the famous Monarchs where he enjoyed instead success. The rookie All-Star led the league in hits (81), triples (10), home runs (10), and RBIs (60) in 56 games. Future Hall of Famer Josh Gibson gave him the moniker of Home Run Brown after hitting 10 home runs in his first year. Three years later, 1940, Brown left the Monarchs to play in Mexico.

In 1940, Brown discovered he made more money playing in Mexico and skipped an entire season in the negro league. Like many others, in 1942, Brown began playing winter ball. He returned to the Monarchs and played in the Puerto Rican Winter League (PRWL) during the off-season. For many, including Brown, war interrupted baseball careers. Brown found himself in a logistic role by supplying much need ammunition to ground forces storming the beaches of France on D-Day. War did not slow Brown down. Brown hit .306 once baseball resumed in 1946.

Brown’s story changes in 1947. At the seasoned age of 32, Brown signed a contract with the St Louis Browns. He was the third African American (behind Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby) to play in the white Major League. Robinson’s path wasn’t paved yet. The road was rocky and full of potholes of racism. An uneasiness transfer full of confrontations had a negative effect on Brown’s hitting. After only 21 games the team released Brown from his contract. Brown batted .179 and returned to the Monarchs to hit .371 in the next 39 games. In interviews conducted, after his playing career, Brown claims lack of team cohesion and a poor on-field product as his reason for his failure with the team. His success in other leagues did not transmit to the White major league like many of his peers of the time.

Most of Brown’s success came while playing in the PRWL after the war. Brown, with something to prove, put up massive numbers. One record of 27 homers remains far and away the most in one PRWL season; the runner-up is Reggie Jackson, who hit 20 in 1970–71. Brown produced two Triple Crown seasons, 1947–48 and 1949–50 in Puerto Rico. In his final year with the Monarchs, 1948, Brown was still a hitting machine at the ripe age of 33, hitting an astounding .404. Upon his release from the Monarchs, Brown continued playing organized ball against various leagues with lower level of talent. His career batting average was .347.

Brown was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. In addition, Brown was inducted in the inaugural Puerto Rican Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.

https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/brown-willard

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/willard-brown/

https://nlbemuseum.com/history/players/brownw.html

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brownwi02.shtml