Jeremy Van Brown is an American former professional baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 catcher

Catcher

Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...

 with the Oakland Athletics

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

. He is primarily known for his place in Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis (author)

Michael Lewis is an American non-fiction author and financial journalist. His bestselling books include The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Liar's Poker, The New New Thing, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Panic and Home Game: An...

' 2003 #1 bestseller Moneyball.

Career

Brown played for Hueytown High School in Hueytown, Alabama

Hueytown, Alabama

Hueytown is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 16,105.It was the home of the legendary NASCAR Alabama Gang...

, and went on to University of Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

, where he played for the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball

Alabama Crimson Tide baseball

The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team represents the University of Alabama in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Alabama athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. The team plays its home games on campus at...

 team. At Alabama, he won the Johnny Bench Award

Johnny Bench Award

The Johnny Bench Award was created in 2000 by to honor college baseball's top catcher. The award is the brain child of Wichitan Mike Gehrer who has coached and administrated in the Wichita area at the high school level for many years. He was a college catcher himself and is one of the most forward...

 as the nation's top collegiate catcher.

Brown was selected in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft

2002 Major League Baseball Draft

The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5.This year's draft is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book Moneyball.-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Compensation Selections:...

 in the first round (35th selection overall) by the Athletics, at the behest of Billy Beane

Billy Beane

William Lamar "Billy" Beane III is a former Major League Baseball player and the current general manager and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics...

 and Paul DePodesta

Paul DePodesta

Paul DePodesta is the Vice President of player development and scouting for the New York Mets. He was formerly a Front Office assistant for the San Diego Padres...

, over the strong objections of the scouting department.

Though spending the majority of his time with the Oakland's Double-A Midland RockHounds

Midland RockHounds

The Midland RockHounds are a minor league baseball team based in Midland, Texas, USA. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Citibank Ballpark, located in Midland. Opened in 2002, the stadium seats...

 and Triple-A Sacramento River Cats

Sacramento River Cats

The Sacramento River Cats is a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. The team plays in the Pacific Coast League and is the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics....

, "Badge" (short for Badger, a nickname for his ample body hair) had a .379 OBP over his first 4 years. Jeremy made his Major League debut on September 3, 2006, against the Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

. He had 3 hits in 10 AB, including two doubles, and a .364 OBP in the Major Leagues for the 2006 season.

Brown was designated for assignment by the Athletics on May 23, 2007 and subsequently outrighted to the minors. At the time of his demotion, Brown had a career .267 average.

On February 15, 2008, Brown announced his retirement. Brown was the team's third ranked catcher behind Kurt Suzuki

Kurt Suzuki

is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Oakland Athletics.-College career:Suzuki played at Cal State Fullerton. Cal State Fullerton captured the 2004 College World Series championship, thanks to Suzuki's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving the Titans a 3-2 win over the...

 and Rob Bowen

Rob Bowen

Robert McClure Bowen is a former Major League Baseball catcher.Bowen spends the regular season living in San Diego, California, but spends his offseasons in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. He also has a baseball camp each winter back in Fort Wayne, Indiana.-High school years:Bowen attended Homestead...

 and was unlikely to make the major league roster.

External links