Brandon Larson

Brandon John Larson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 210 lb.
• School Blinn College, Louisiana State University
• High School Holmes High School (San Angelo)
• Debut May 4, 2001
• Final Game July 17, 2004
• Born May 24, 1976 in San Angelo, TX USA

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Biographical Information

Brandon Larson is an infielder who was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1st round (14th pick) of the 1997 amateur draft. Larson was drafted out of Louisiana State University, where he was the MVP in the 1997 College World Series. Larson advanced rapidly through Cincinnati's farm system and made his Major League debut on May 24, 2001 against the San Diego Padres. Although Larson showed great promise in the minors, he soon became a symbol of the perceived modern ineptness of the Cincinnati Reds organization to its fans.

Perhaps what is most perplexing about Larson has been the major disparities between his AAA and MLB stats. Larson was an AAA All-Star in 2002 and 2003 for the Louisville Bats (International League), and was the Cincinnati Reds Minor League Player of the Year in 2003. In 2003, Larson had 297 at bats and had a batting average of .340, with 25 home runs, and a 1.056 OPS. In 2004, in 282 at bats, Larson hit .323 with a 1.001 OPS. Yet, at the Major League level, he was inefficient in the field and at the plate. Between 2001 and 2004 Larson hit at an average of .179 (as opposed to his .282 average in all levels of the minors). It should be noted that Larson only had 291 AB in the majors, a small sample size.

Although Cincinnati tried to hold onto the hope that Larson would be the organization's third baseman of the future, Larson was granted free agency at the end of 2004. Larson signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in early 2005 but was released at the end of the Spring Training. Later that April, Larson signed with the Texas Rangers and played 34 games for the Frisco RoughRiders (AA) before being released in mid-season. In 2006 and 2007, Larson played in the Washington Nationals farm system. 2008 found Larson playing in the independent Atlantic League for the Somerset Patriots.