Jeremy Scott Brown (born October 25, 1979 in Birmingham, Alabama) is a former Major League Baseball catcher in the Oakland Athletics' organization. Brown played for Hueytown High School in Hueytown, Alabama, and went on to play for the University of Alabama.

He is primarily known for his place in Michael Lewis' 2003 #1 bestseller Moneyball. The so-called "fat-bodied catcher" was drafted in 2002 by the A's General Manager Billy Beane in the first round (35th selection overall) of the amateur draft much to the surprise of other MLB GM's, and himself.

Though spending the majority of his time with the Oakland Athletic's affiliates AA-Midland and AAA-Sacramento, "Badge" (short for Badger, a nickname for his ample body hair) had a .379 OBP over his first 4 years. Jeremy made his Major League debut on September 3, 2006, against the Baltimore Orioles. He had 3 hits in 10 AB, including two doubles, and a .364 OBP in the Major Leagues for the 2006 season.

Brown was designated for assignment by the Athletics on May 23, 2007^[1] and subsequently outrighted to the minors.^[2] At the time of his demotion, Brown had a career .267 average, and his performance had steadily declined as he'd risen in the Oakland farm system.

On February 15, 2008, Brown announced his retirement. ^[3] Brown was the team's third ranked catcher behind Kurt Suzuki and Rob Bowen and was unlikely to make the major league roster.^[4]

[edit] References

1. ^ Kotsay's return trouble-free, so far
2. ^ The Sports Network - Major League Baseball
3. ^ Catcher Jeremy Brown announces retirement
4. ^ 'Moneyball' leading man apparently retires at 28

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube