William Brown

Note: This page discusses 1887-1894 first baseman/catcher Bill Brown. For other players with the same name, click here.

William M. Brown
(Big Bill or California)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 190 lb.

• Debut May 10, 1887
• Final Game May 20, 1894
• Born 1866 in San Francisco, CA USA
• Died December 20, 1897 in San Francisco, CA USA

BR Page

Biographical Information

William Brown (formerly listed as Willard Brown) played seven seasons in the major leagues. He was mostly a catcher in his early years and then became a first baseman.

Brown was playing professional baseball as early as 1882 in San Francisco, his hometown. When he broke into the majors with the New York Giants in 1887, he was approximately the same age as outfielder Mike Tiernan. Also on the team were several future Hall of Famers: John Ward, Buck Ewing, Roger Connor, Mickey Welch, Jim O'Rourke and Tim Keefe. Brown played more catcher than anyone else on the team. In 1888 and 1889 he appeared in postseason play as the Giants won both times. He hit an excellent .462 in 13 at-bats. In 1892, he played in California instead of the majors. He spent part of 1894 in the minors and spent 1896 in Seattle. He died in 1897.

He is not to be confused with Willard Brown, a Hall of Famer who played mostly in the Negro Leagues and Puerto Rico. Here is a baseball card of William, referred to as "California Brown".

Related Sites

• William Brown at the SABR Bio Project