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Brant Brown
Brant Brown
Brant Brown
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Brant Michael Brown (born June 22, 1971) is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder who is the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB from 1996 through 2000 for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Florida Marlins. He has coached for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, and Seattle Mariners. He played college baseball for the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Key Information

Playing career

[edit]

Brown attended Monache High School in Porterville, California, and California State University, Fresno, where he played college baseball for the Fresno State Bulldogs.

The Chicago Cubs selected Brown in the third round, with the 81st overall selection, in the 1992 Major League Baseball draft. In his first season, he had a .274 batting average for the Peoria Chiefs of the Class A Midwest League. The next year, he hit .342 with the Daytona Cubs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League and the Orlando Cubs of the Class AA Southern League.

On June 15, 1996, Brown made his major league debut, hitting .304 in 69 at-bats that season.[1]

On June 18, 1998, Brown hit three home runs in one game.[2]

On September 23, 1998, the Cubs were tied with the New York Mets for the National League wild card with three games remaining. In a game against the Milwaukee Brewers that day, Chicago held a 7–5 lead in the bottom of the 9th inning. Milwaukee loaded the bases with two outs for Geoff Jenkins, who hit a long fly ball to Brown that should have ended the game. Brown, though, dropped the ball, which then got past him, allowing three runs to score and giving the Brewers an 8–7 win. The Cubs then faced the San Francisco Giants in a one-game playoff to break the tie for the Wild Card, which the Cubs won.[3] He hit .291 with 14 home runs and 48 runs batted in (RBIs) on the 1998 season.[4]

After the 1998 season, the Cubs traded Brown to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Jon Lieber.[4]

Though primarily a left fielder, the Pirates had Brown open the season as their starting center fielder. It didn't work, and the Pirates replaced Brown in their starting lineup with José Guillén in May.[5] Brown hit .232 with 16 home runs and 58 RBIs with 114 strikeouts in 341 at bats for the Pirates in 1999.

After the 1999 season, the Pirates traded Brown to the Florida Marlins for Bruce Aven.[6]

On June 9, 2000, Brown was involved in a three-team trade, in which he was sent to the Cubs, while Dave Martinez went to the Texas Rangers and the Marlins received Chuck Smith.[7] In August, the Cubs sent Brown to the Iowa Cubs of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL), replacing him with Ross Gload.[8]

Granted free agency after the 2000 season, Brown signed with the Brewers for the 2001 season. He played in the minor leagues for the Indianapolis Indians of the Triple-A International League[9] and the Memphis Redbirds of the PCL, the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.[10]

Brown then played for the Schaumburg Flyers of the independent Northern League in 2003.[11]

Coaching career

[edit]

After ending his playing career, Brown became a minor league hitting coach in the Rangers' organization. He spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons as the hitting coach for the Bakersfield Blaze of the High-A California League.[12] In 2009, he joined the Frisco RoughRiders of the Double-A Texas League.[13] After three seasons with Frisco, he spent the 2012 season with the Round Rock Express of the PCL.

After the 2012 season, the Seattle Mariners hired Brown as their minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator.[14]

On December 1, 2017, he was hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers to share the dual role of assistant hitting coach and minor league hitting coordinator with Luis Ortiz.[15] For the 2019 season he was promoted to the new position of hitting strategist.[16]

On November 27, 2022, Brown was hired to be the hitting coach for the Miami Marlins.[17]

On December 7, 2023, Brown was hired to be the offensive coordinator and bench coach for the Seattle Mariners.[18] However, after the Mariners offense struggled to begin the 2024 season, the Mariners fired Brown on May 31.[19]

On October 22, 2024, Brown was hired to be the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.[20]

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Brant Brown

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Brant Brown is an American former and current hitting coach for the Cardinals in (MLB). Born Brant Michael Brown on June 22, 1971, in , he stands 6 feet 3 inches tall and batted and threw left-handed during his playing career. Brown was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the third round of the 1992 MLB Draft out of Fresno State University and made his MLB debut with the team on June 15, 1996. Over five seasons from 1996 to 2000, he appeared in 424 games primarily as an for the Cubs, , and Florida Marlins, compiling a .247 with 45 home runs, 146 runs batted in, and a .746 on-base plus slugging percentage. His most productive year came in 1998 with the Cubs, when he hit .291 with 14 home runs and posted a 1.4 wins above replacement value, including a brief appearance in the . Transitioning to coaching after his playing days, Brown spent six years instructing hitters in the before advancing to MLB roles, accumulating 18 years of experience in player development by 2024. He served as a big league hitting coach for the from 2020 to 2022, the in 2023—contributing to their National League Wild Card postseason berth—and the Mariners in 2024, where the team parted ways amid offensive struggles. Hired by the Cardinals on October 22, 2024, Brown emphasizes a relatable, high-energy approach to , focusing on plate discipline, hitter movement profiles, and building confidence to adapt to league pitching adjustments, particularly for young talents like and Jordan Walker.

Early life and education

High school career

Brant Brown attended Monache High School in Porterville, California, where he developed his early baseball skills as an outfielder on the varsity team. He graduated from the school in 1989. During his time at Monache, Brown was part of a group of players, including Lance Wallace, Brian Ervin, Rennie Molezzo, Kit Pearson, David Cox, and Shane Focke, credited with establishing the foundational tone and culture for the school's baseball program. His contributions on the field helped build a competitive environment that influenced subsequent generations of Monache athletes. As a product of Porterville's local sports scene, Brown's high school experience fostered community pride, with his later professional success often highlighted in regional media as an inspiring example for aspiring players from the area. After graduating, he transitioned to at Fresno State University.

College career

Brant Brown played for the of , during the 1991 and seasons. In 1991, Brown contributed to the Bulldogs' fifth-place finish in the and received second-team honors along with All-Big West Conference recognition. As a in , he posted a .355 with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs over 57 games while playing primarily as an and . That year, Brown earned second-team honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association. Brown's collegiate performance led to his selection by the Chicago Cubs in the third round, 81st overall, of the .

Playing career

Minor leagues

Brown was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the third round of the out of , and signed with the team on June 12, 1992. He was initially assigned to the Single-A of the , where he appeared in 70 games, batting .274 with three home runs and 27 RBIs. In 1993, Brown began the season with the High-A Daytona Cubs of the , hitting .342 with three home runs and 33 RBIs over 75 games, earning a midseason promotion to the Double-A Orlando Cubs of the Southern League. There, he adapted quickly, posting a .315 average with four home runs and 23 RBIs in 28 games. His combined performance across both levels that year was .334 with seven home runs and 56 RBIs in 103 games, showcasing his power potential and plate discipline. Brown spent the next two full seasons at Double-A with Orlando, solidifying his prospect status. In 1994, he batted .270 with five home runs and 37 RBIs in 127 games, demonstrating consistency despite a dip in power. The following year, 1995, he improved to .271 with six home runs and 53 RBIs in 121 games, drawing attention for his defense and left-handed swing. Following a brief stint in 1996 with Triple-A of the —where he hit .304 with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs in 94 games—Brown earned his first major league call-up. He also appeared in 71 games for in 1997 (.301, 16 HR, 51 RBI) and three games in 1998 (.364), primarily as a depth option during his early MLB years. After his major league tenure ended following the 2000 season, Brown returned to Triple-A in 2001, signing as a with the Brewers on January 11. He split the year between the St. Louis Cardinals' (), where he batted .277 with four home runs and 19 RBIs in 52 games, and the Brewers' (), hitting .201 with five home runs and 13 RBIs in 50 games. His overall 2001 line was .243 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs in 102 games. Brown did not play professionally in 2002. In 2003, he joined the independent Northern League's , appearing in 85 games with a .253 average, seven home runs, and 43 RBIs. Across his minor and independent league career from 1992 to 2003, Brown played 776 games, compiling a .281 with 63 home runs and 342 RBIs. His progression through the Cubs' system highlighted steady development from a power-hitting college standout to a Triple-A contributor, while his later affiliations underscored efforts to revive his professional career post-MLB.

Major leagues

Brant Brown made his debut on June 15, 1996, with the Chicago Cubs, appearing as a against the St. Louis Cardinals. Over his five-season MLB career from 1996 to 2000, he played in 424 games, compiling a .247 with 45 home runs and 146 runs batted in. Brown spent his first three full seasons with the Cubs, serving primarily as an . In 1996, he hit .304 with five home runs in 29 games following his midseason call-up. His playing time increased in 1997 to 46 games, where he batted .234 with five home runs. The 1998 season marked a breakout for Brown, as he appeared in 124 games, batting .291 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs; on June 18 against the Phillies, he hit three home runs in a 12-5 Cubs victory, going 4-for-5 with five RBIs. However, a pivotal error occurred on September 23, 1998, in , when Brown dropped a routine fly ball hit by Geoff Jenkins in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded and the Cubs leading 7-5, allowing three runs to score in an 8-7 walk-off loss to the Brewers; despite the defeat, the Cubs secured the National League Wild Card berth that year. Following the 1998 season, the Cubs traded Brown to the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 14, 1998, in exchange for pitcher Jon Lieber. In 1999, Brown played 130 games for the Pirates, primarily in right field, batting .232 with 16 home runs and 58 RBIs. The Pirates traded Brown to the Florida Marlins on December 14, 1999, for outfielder Bruce Aven. In 2000, he appeared in 41 games with the Marlins, hitting .192 with two home runs and six RBIs before being involved in a three-team trade on June 9 that sent him back to the Cubs in exchange for outfielder Dave Martinez and pitcher Manny Aybar. With the Cubs for the remainder of the season, Brown played 54 games, batting .157 with three home runs and 10 RBIs. Brown retired from Major League Baseball after the 2000 season.

Coaching career

Minor league coaching

Following his retirement from professional playing after the 2006 season, Brant Brown transitioned into coaching within the Texas Rangers' minor league system in 2007, beginning as the hitting coach for the , a role he held through 2008. In this capacity, Brown focused on player development, emphasizing hitting fundamentals for emerging prospects in the . In 2009, Brown advanced to the Double-A as hitting coach, a position he maintained through 2011, where he contributed to offensive improvements across the affiliate. In 2009, under his guidance, the RoughRiders ranked second in the league with 108 home runs while recording the second-fewest strikeouts at 856, reflecting enhanced power and contact skills among the farm system's position players. These results underscored Brown's impact on prospect development, helping to refine the hitting approaches of Rangers minor leaguers transitioning through the Double-A level. For the 2012 season, Brown was promoted to hitting coach for the Triple-A , marking the culmination of his six-year tenure with the Rangers organization and providing advanced instruction to players nearing major league readiness. His progression through these roles, from to Triple-A, built a strong foundation in player development that led to an opportunity later that year with the Mariners, where he joined as minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator in 2012. With the Mariners organization from 2013 to 2017, Brown served as outfield and baserunning coordinator in 2013, followed by outfield coordinator from 2014 to 2016. During 2015, he also acted as interim hitting coach for the Double-A starting July 2. In 2016, he coached baserunning and infield for during the qualifiers and served as hitting coach for the in the . He concluded his roles as the Mariners' hitting coordinator in 2017.

Major League Baseball coaching

Brant Brown began his coaching career with the on December 1, 2017, when he was hired as an assistant hitting coach while also serving as the team's hitting coordinator. In 2019, his role evolved to hitting strategist, and by , he was promoted to co-hitting coach alongside , a position he held through the 2022 season. During his tenure, Brown contributed to the Dodgers' potent offenses that advanced to the in 2018, , and 2021, including their championship victory, by emphasizing data-driven adjustments and mechanical refinements to improve plate discipline and power production. On November 27, 2022, Brown joined the as their hitting coach for the 2023 season, where he focused on fostering a contact-oriented approach that helped the team reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Brown returned to the Seattle Mariners organization on December 7, 2023, as bench coach and , aiming to revitalize the team's struggling lineup with his experience in hitter development. However, amid an early-season offensive slump, he was relieved of his duties on May 31, 2024. On October 22, 2024, the St. Louis Cardinals hired Brown as their hitting coach, assigning him uniform number 73. In preparation for the 2025 season, Brown worked closely with players during the offseason to refine mechanics and . As of May 2025, this resulted in noticeable early improvements such as better two-strike hitting and reduced swing-and-miss rates, with the team's swinging-strike percentage dropping to 17.1%—below league average—and increased patience at the plate. However, the Cardinals' offense regressed later in the season, finishing 19th in MLB with 4.25 runs per game and a .245 in a 78-84 campaign. Throughout his MLB coaching roles, Brown's philosophy centers on leveraging his playing experience as a left-handed to teach balanced mechanics, situational adaptability, and a "see the ball, hit the ball" mindset that encourages hitters to hunt strikes while adjusting to pitch sequencing. This approach, refined from his foundational work with the Mariners starting in 2012, prioritizes mechanical consistency over swing overhaul, enabling players like in Seattle's system to maintain elite contact rates.

References

  1. https://www.mlb.com/news/brant-brown-gets-to-work-as-cardinals-hitting-coach
  2. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brownbr01.shtml
  3. https://www.mlb.com/player/brant-brown-111533
  4. https://www.recorderonline.com/sports/monache-grad-brown-dismissed-by-mariners/article_a1cdba8e-1fbe-11ef-9985-376b0112ac36.html
  5. https://www.recorderonline.com/gallery/baseball-great-zimmerman-going-into-mhs-hall/article_19e5cf12-ea2f-11ef-b928-6311e5056e42.html
  6. https://www.recorderonline.com/news/brown-wins-world-series-title-as-co-hitting-coach-with-dodgers/article_dcaecc68-1dfd-11eb-832b-ff9e2f7a19b0.html
  7. https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player.asp?ID=9272
  8. https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/9272/
  9. https://www.espn.com/mlb/profiles/profile/5636.html
  10. https://www.abca.org/ABCA/ABCA/Awards/All-Americans/NCAA_Division_I/1992.aspx
  11. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=brown-003bra
  12. https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player.asp?ID=9272&view=tranx
  13. https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Brant_Brown
  14. https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/june-18-1998-brant-brown-blasts-three-home-runs-for-cubs/
  15. https://www.mlb.com/cubs/video/brown-drops-ball-crew-walks-off-c2410944683
  16. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2023/09/27/chicago-cubs-blown-game-in-atlanta-is-a-blast-from-the-past-the-1998-brant-brown-oh-no-drop/
  17. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1998/12/14/Cubs-deal-Brown-to-Pirates-for-Lieber/3079913611600/
  18. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/14/sports/plus-baseball-florida-brown-is-traded-to-the-pirates.html
  19. https://www.upi.com/Archives/2000/06/09/Cubs-acquire-Brant-Brown-in-3-way-trade/6502960523200/
  20. https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-523589
  21. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=ef4990f5
  22. https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/rangers-announce-2012-minor-league-coaching-staffs/n-4341119
  23. https://www.mlb.com/mariners/news/chris-woodward-brant-brown-join-mariners-farm-system/c-40143750
  24. https://www.mlb.com/press-release/dodgers-hire-assistant-hitting-coaches-brant-brown-luis-ortiz-to-round-262727332
  25. https://www.recorderonline.com/gallery/brant-brown-hired-as-cardinals-hitting-coach/article_10f01f62-90a6-11ef-aff7-afdf5c1592bc.html
  26. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/marlins-to-hire-brant-brown-as-hitting-coach.html
  27. https://www.mlb.com/news/brant-brown-joins-mariners-as-bench-coach
  28. https://www.mlb.com/news/mariners-part-ways-with-bench-coach-brant-brown
  29. https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-jon-jay-brant-brown-join-major-league-coaching-staff-for-2025-willie-mcgee-transitions-to-special-assistant-role
  30. https://redbirdrants.com/the-brant-brown-effect-has-been-massive-on-the-st-louis-cardinals-offense
  31. https://www.si.com/mlb/cardinals/st-louis-cardinals-around-mlb/cardinals-new-hitting-coach-has-transformed-offense-in-2025-curt9
  32. https://www.teamrankings.com/mlb/team/st-louis-cardinals/stats
  33. https://www.mlb.com/news/brant-brown-marlins-new-hitting-coach-hitting-philosophy
  34. https://sports.mynorthwest.com/mlb/seattle-mariners/hot-stove-show-brant-brown-talks-seattle-mariners-hitting-strategy/1771732
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