Willard Brown
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Willard Brown (June 26, 1915, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA - August 8, 1996) was a professional baseball player.
He began his professional baseball career in 1934 with the Monroe Monarchs, a minor Negro League team. In 1936 he signed with the Kansas City Monarchs, for whom he played continuously until fighting in World War II in 1944-45. During these years he established himself as having the most raw power in Negro League history, and possibly in the history of baseball. He hit home runs more often than the better known Josh Gibson, leading the latter to nickname him "Home Run" Brown. He also hit for average, batting .374 in 1948 and regularly hitting over 350. Brown was one of the fastest players in baseball in the late 1930s and the 1940s, and he was also a solid outfielder.
He played briefly in the Major Leagues in 1947, having signed with the floundering St. Louis Browns, but he struggled because of the racism of his new surroundings and his frustration with the lack of talent of his new teammates. After batting .179 in 21 games he left the Majors. That winter he went to Puerto Rico and had one of the greatest seasons ever, batting .432 with 27 home runs and 86 RBI in just 60 games, winning the Triple Crown and earning the nickname El Hombre or "The Man". He returned to the Monarchs for the 1948 season and stayed with them until his retirement from top-level baseball in 1950. He was a successful minor league player in the Texas League from 1953 through 1956.
Although every bit the equal of Josh Gibson as an all-around player, Willard Brown has yet to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Although his career home run total is not known, there is no doubt that he is among the Negro League career leaders in homers despite a relatively brief career. After he retired he lived in Houston, Texas. He died on August 8, 1996.
Known Statistics: .355 Career Batting Average