Brown Showing What He Can Do for the Marauders

The historic play that he initiated in the bottom of the fifth inning of an eventual 4-3 loss to the Jupiter Hammerheads on June 8 only reinforced the importance of positioning to Bradenton Marauder Kelson Brown.

Brown, a utility infielder who got the start at second base that night, stared down a liner off the bat of Jose Duarte. His instincts immediately took over, and Brown was soon throwing over to first baseman Aaron Baker for the first triple play in team history.

"The bases were loaded," Brown said. "We were in double play depth and I was shaded up the middle a little bit because there was a right-handed hitter up. When he hit the ball, I don’t even remember how I did it. I knew the situation, I caught it and I saw the runner on second was too far off. I ran to second, looked to the third baseman and saw he was close by, so I glanced over at first and saw that he was off. In one motion, I stepped on second and threw to first base."

Having only played in 31 games this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ affiliate in the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, Brown is always looking to prove himself every chance he gets. Opportunities that present themselves because Brown committed himself to baseball a little more than two years ago and hit .293 with 12 doubles, three triples, 26 RBI and 34 runs scored in 62 games for the State College (Pa.) Spikes of the New York-Penn League last summer.

The 6-foot-3, 170-pound Brown wasn’t heavily recruited by colleges out of high school. He had some interest from clusters of NCAA Division III schools in the Carolinas, Northern California and Oregon before deciding on Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore.

Brown initially had no aspirations of playing professional baseball and estimates that he only had 12 at-bats through his first two seasons at Linfield. After a shift in priorities, Brown developed into an All-America shortstop and Northwest Conference Player of the Year by the end of his senior season.

"I had to believe in it," Brown said. "I’ve always been a guy who has lacked confidence in myself. I wouldn’t call it an epiphany, but something flipped in me. Maybe I was facing my own mortality or whatever, but I said I’m going to commit myself 100 percent to this and have no regrets. I committed to getting stronger in the gym even though I don’t look like it. I became more of a leader and more of a communicator with my teammates. I thought that was huge."

After capping his career at Linfield under head coach and 1998 World Series MVP Scott Brosius and earning his degree in mathematics, Brown eagerly awaited the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Some major league organizations were interested in Brown as a pitcher, while others told him that he would play in the infield.

The Pirates would call Brown’s name on the second day in the 34^th round. Initially announced as being a pitcher, Brown was later informed by a Pittsburgh scout that he would be a position player.

The success that he had with State College last year may have been a factor in Brown bypassing the South Atlantic League’s West Virginia Power and starting the season with Bradenton. Although he has only hit .233 on the season, Brown is batting .281 over his last 10 games and is getting more playing time.

In the last week, he has played second base, shortstop and first base for manager Carlos Garcia’s Marauders. Coincidentally, Garcia helped turn a triple play against the St. Louis Cardinals when playing second base for the Pirates on Aug. 10, 1993.

"I’ve got to give it all I have every day," Brown said. "Being a reserve player here, I’m up against it and the odds are against me. I’m an underdog. I just have to carry myself in a good way, be professional, work my butt off and learn from people with experience."