Jim Brown (brownji04)

James R. Brown

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut 1920
• Final Game 1937
• Born May 16, 1892 in San Marcos, TX USA
• Died January 21, 1943 in San Antonio, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jim Brown played and managed in the Negro Leagues.

Brown was playing in Texas alongside batterymate Dave Brown; both signed with the Chicago American Giants. Brown was a backup in 1918 and 1919. In 1920, he hit .189 in a part-time role. Brown hit .278/.331/.365 for Chicago in 1921, almost evenly splitting catching duties. In 1922, Jim batted .284/.339/.413 as Chicago's primary backstop. In postseason play, he was 4 for 18. He went one for three versus major league pitchers in exhibitions.

In 1923, Brown slumped to .238/.308/.331 despite hitting cleanup on a pennant-winning team including sluggers John Beckwith and Cristobal Torriente; Brown hit 2 home runs in 239 AB, hardly an offensive force, even for a pitcher-friendly stadium. He went three for seven in an exhibition series against the Detroit Tigers, facing Herman Pillette and Hooks Dauss.

Brown hit .286 in 1924 then fell to .225 in 1925. Moving to first base in 1926, he hit .333 to lead Chicago. He batted .250 in a postseason series against the Kansas City Monarchs but was just 4 for 36 in the 1926 Negro World Series.

Brown batted .292 in 1927 and was 7 for 16 in the psotseason. He had an operation in 1928 and missed part of the season. In 1929, Brown became Chicago's manager; now an outfielder, he only hit .237. He guided the club to a 44-25 record in his one year at the helm.

Back to playing full-time for Chicago in 1930, Brown batted .321. He slumped to .222 in 1931, when he returned to catcher. In 1932, he managed the short-lived Cleveland Stars and also played outfield for the Louisville Black Caps. Brown spent the next three years as a bench player back in Chicago.

Brown faded from there, staying with minor teams for a few years and managing at times. He served as manager of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Gophers of the Negro Major Baseball League in 1942.

He was involved in a gambling-related incident in 1943 which resulted in his being thrown from a moving car. He broke his neck and died from the fall.

Notable Achievements

• Won two Negro World Series with the Chicago American Giants in 1927 and 1927

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1929	Chicago American Giants	Negro National League	62-42	3rd	Chicago American Giants
1930	Chicago American Giants	Negro National League	54-54	4th	Chicago American Giants
1932	Louisville Black Caps	Negro Southern League	12-23	12th	Louisville Black Caps		Replaced Jimmie Lyons (0-8)

Sources

• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway
• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester
• Research by Gary Ashwill

Related Sites

• Jim Brown at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Manager page