Roosevelt Brown Had a Successful 2003 Season in Japan
I remain disappointed with the way things turned out for Roosevelt Brown in Chicago. He toyed with Triple-A pitching, but was given too few opportunities to succeed under former manager Don Baylor. On the other hand, he was given 204 at-bats in 2002, and put up a disappointing .211/.299/.314 line.
Without a place for him in the 2003 team, Roosevelt Brown left Chicago and headed for Japan. It appears to have worked out for him. The Baseball Guru has a page listing the 2003 Japanese baseball leaders. Brown, playing for Orix of the Pacific League, finished 9th in the league in RBI’s, 10th in bases on balls, 7th in stolen bases, and 10th in OBP%. Brown also hit 28 home runs and finished with a .307/.392/.539 line. Alas, Orix finished in last place with a record of 48-88, 33.5 games out of first. Orix’s 5.94 ERA, a full run higher than any other team in either the Pacific or Central Leagues, might have had something to do with that.
I haven’t heard about Brown being in a big league camp this spring, so it’s likely that he’ll be playing in Japan again in 2004. I think it probable that a Brown, David Kelton platoon in left in 2004 would have greater production than Moises Alou, and for much less money.