Kevin Brown Stats & Scouting Report

IP	3256
ERA	3.275
WHIP	1.222
BB/9	2.49
SO/9	6.626

Full name James Kevin Brown
Born 03/14/1965 in Mcintyre, GA
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Georgia Tech
Debut 09/30/1986
Drafted in the 1st round (4th overall) by the Texas Rangers in 1986 (signed for $174,500).

View Draft Report

For a player who went undrafted out of high school and had to be coaxed by Georgia Tech coaches to walk on as a freshman, Brown has come a long way. He’s no longer the skinny righthander with the fastball in the low 80s; now he’s filled out to a more ideal pitcher’s build of 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, and he’s developed into a power pitcher, throwing in the high 80s. Some scouts have him ranked right behind Texas lefthander Greg Swindell in sizing up this year’s pitching crop, particularly after he clearly outshone Wake Forest righthander Erik Hanson in a recent matchup of potential No. 1 draft picks that attracted 10 scouting directors to Atlanta.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Rangers’ first-round pick out of Georgia Tech in 1986 turned looming disaster into the system’s best hope during the 1988 season. After winning on Opening Day 1987, Brown went on a 14-game losing streak, which included his first three decisions of 1988. By early June, he was 2-7 with Double-A Tulsa and on the verge of demotion to high Class A for the second year in a row. Bang. Brown found that 95 mph fastball, combined it with his version of a split-finger pitch, and he suddenly matured. He didn’t let what he felt was a bad play or a bad call rattle him. And Brown finished up the 1988 season by winning 10 of his final 12 decisions at Tulsa, with a sub-2.00 ERA. He could be rushed into the big leagues right now, but with the winter addition of Nolan Ryan, the Rangers won’t have to do that. Brown will probably go to Triple-A, where he can refine a changeup that he didn’t throw in college because his fastball so overpowered hitters.
The Rangers’ first-round pick in June 1986, and the fourth player selected overall, Brown has gone through shock treatment. Troubled with minor ailments in his first year out of Georgia Tech, Brown was faced with adversity for the first time in his baseball days in 1987. He went a combined 1-11 and 6.48 ERA in a season that began at Double-A Tulsa and ended at high Class A Port Charlotte, with a stop at Triple-A Oklahoma City in between, was not what Brown nor the Rangers had in mind. In the long run, though, it may be a blessing. From thinking he should strike everybody out, and wondering what was wrong at the beginning of the season, he had re-established his fastball in the 90s by the end of instructional league, and had begun learning to study hitters and set them up.
The Rangers’ first-round pick last June out of Georgia Tech, Brown had a tired arm and made only brief appearances in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, Double-A Texas League and with the big league club--when he won his only major league start. That glimpse, plus a good effort in instructional league, has Brown in line for a spot in the Texas rotation in spring training. Brown has a legitimate 90 mph fastball and a good breaking pitch. Most impressively, for someone who hasn’t played a lot of baseball (he was a walk-on at Georgia Tech), Brown has excellent poise and control. After sitting around the month of September, he made his big league debut in a start against Oakland the final week of the season and not only did not walk a batter in five innings, but went to three balls in the count only once. In 15 innings during instructional league, he struck out 15 and walked only one.

Minor League Top Prospects

After going 1-11 last year and starting this year 2-7 at Tulsa, Brown underwent a transformation, regained his confidence and pitched inside. “He pitched like a major leaguer against us,” Jackson manager Tucker Ashford said. “If he throws strikes, there’s no reason he can’t pitch in the big leagues today,” El Paso manager Dave Machemer said. “You just don’t see that kind of arm very often,” Wichita manager Pat Kelly said.

Scouting Reports

The Rangers’ first-round pick out of Georgia Tech in 1986 turned looming disaster into the system’s best hope during the 1988 season. After winning on Opening Day 1987, Brown went on a 14-game losing streak, which included his first three decisions of 1988. By early June, he was 2-7 with Double-A Tulsa and on the verge of demotion to high Class A for the second year in a row. Bang. Brown found that 95 mph fastball, combined it with his version of a split-finger pitch, and he suddenly matured. He didn’t let what he felt was a bad play or a bad call rattle him. And Brown finished up the 1988 season by winning 10 of his final 12 decisions at Tulsa, with a sub-2.00 ERA. He could be rushed into the big leagues right now, but with the winter addition of Nolan Ryan, the Rangers won’t have to do that. Brown will probably go to Triple-A, where he can refine a changeup that he didn’t throw in college because his fastball so overpowered hitters.
The Rangers’ first-round pick in June 1986, and the fourth player selected overall, Brown has gone through shock treatment. Troubled with minor ailments in his first year out of Georgia Tech, Brown was faced with adversity for the first time in his baseball days in 1987. He went a combined 1-11 and 6.48 ERA in a season that began at Double-A Tulsa and ended at high Class A Port Charlotte, with a stop at Triple-A Oklahoma City in between, was not what Brown nor the Rangers had in mind. In the long run, though, it may be a blessing. From thinking he should strike everybody out, and wondering what was wrong at the beginning of the season, he had re-established his fastball in the 90s by the end of instructional league, and had begun learning to study hitters and set them up.
After going 1-11 last year and starting this year 2-7 at Tulsa, Brown underwent a transformation, regained his confidence and pitched inside. “He pitched like a major leaguer against us,” Jackson manager Tucker Ashford said. “If he throws strikes, there’s no reason he can’t pitch in the big leagues today,” El Paso manager Dave Machemer said. “You just don’t see that kind of arm very often,” Wichita manager Pat Kelly said.
The Rangers’ first-round pick last June out of Georgia Tech, Brown had a tired arm and made only brief appearances in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, Double-A Texas League and with the big league club--when he won his only major league start. That glimpse, plus a good effort in instructional league, has Brown in line for a spot in the Texas rotation in spring training. Brown has a legitimate 90 mph fastball and a good breaking pitch. Most impressively, for someone who hasn’t played a lot of baseball (he was a walk-on at Georgia Tech), Brown has excellent poise and control. After sitting around the month of September, he made his big league debut in a start against Oakland the final week of the season and not only did not walk a batter in five innings, but went to three balls in the count only once. In 15 innings during instructional league, he struck out 15 and walked only one.