Bobby Brooks

Robert Brooks
(The Hammer or The Little Hammer)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8½", Weight 165 lb.
• School Los Angeles Harbor Community College
• High School Narbonne High School
• Debut September 1, 1969
• Final Game June 5, 1973
• Born November 1, 1945 in Los Angeles, CA USA
• Died October 11, 1994 in Harbor City, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

“Listen... Henry Aaron’s The Hammer. They call me the Little Hammer because they know I admire the man... I guess I’m The Hammer of the American League.” - Bobby Brooks, to The Sporting News, October 11, 1969

Bobby Brooks played four years in the majors. As a rookie, he was the sixth outfielder on the 1969 Oakland Athletics. A remembrance of the 1972 Athletics [1] says that his nickname was "The Hammer", and that he hit 23 home runs with 83 walks at Iowa in 1971. He was a surprise star at 1972 spring training and made the roster as well as the Opening Day lineup. He beat out George Hendrick for the center field spot, but when Dick Williams called him in to tell him, Brooks thought (so he told the Sporting News) that he was going back to the minors.

According to a site about the Northern League [2], he played eleven seasons in the minors. After baseball, he had multiple sclerosis for many years. He died from complications at age 48.

Further Reading

• Thomas Ayers: "Robert 'Bobby' Brooks, Jr.", in Chip Greene, ed.: Mustaches and Mayhem, Charlie O's Three-Time Champions: The Oakland Athletics 1972-74, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2015, pp. 140-144. ISBN 978-1-943816-07-1

Related Sites

• Bobby Brooks at the SABR Bio Project