For as unimpressive as our outfield is suppose to be, I'd like to see Brown as the everday right fielder. He covers good ground, has a cannon, and hits with pretty good pop. Maybe he only hits .250 with 10 hrs. but I think having him in right with Nieuwenhuis/Cowgill in center at least our Outfield will be good defensively. Reminds me of Jeff Francouer

does he whine like Frenchy too? but really can he throw like him?

Could be good but I would prefer him to platoon with Baxter. This would put him into the best circumstances to do well and prove that he belongs in the Bigs. Nothing wrong with having two platoons in the outfield because we should be able to keep 5 outfielders on the roster. Letting Duda have a full time job in left so that he can try and prove himself.

Just watching a couple shots from last season highlights. im not a scout but their at least 3 OF assits he has nailing Parra, B.Crawford, and Tejada at home from LF. He looks to have a strong, accurate arm, with a quick release

I understand the benefits of a platoon, but id hate to not have a LH bat on the bench for late innings. and if we platooned both Kirk/Cowgill and Baxter/Brown that leaves no LH bats on the bench on days a Righty starts

Unless we keep Valdespin as an infield backup. Turner and Hicks are both right handers.

But if a right hander starts the game and they bring in a left handed relief pitcher it would be right handed pinch hitter that you would need. And there will be many on the bench. If a right handed relief pitcher is brought in you don't have a problem.

If the other team switches back and forth with pitchers so be it they will expend their bull pen earlier in the game. Which would be to our advantage.

Brown's always had the talent. The reason he never got a shot was because he never got an opportunity with the clubs he was on.

Cowgill is similar. I really believe we will be pleasantly surprised by these two, Duda (.250 average with good OBP and 25 homeruns seems reasonable) and Kirk.

Brown is supposed to be a terrible outfielder. A Duda-like player with a bad habit of running into his fellow outfielders.

For those interested here's a dicussion about Brown. www.futureredbirds.net/2011/10/12/andrew-brown-claimed-on-waivers/

I would rather platoon Cowgill Kirk and Brown and leave Baxter on the Bench.

He's a scrub. Next!

He's a scrub. Next!<

Give the guy a chance. He had little playing time in the majors to prove himself.

Let us take a brief trip into the career of Andrew Brown (because too many people write players off without actual research. This really needs to stop.)

The guy is now 28 years old with only 135 major league at bats (.224/.284/.396 with 5 home runs). What does this tell us? Andrew Brown has not had many opportunities in the big leagues.

Why? Well, let's look at the Minor League numbers:

In 6 seasons in the minors, Andrew Brown has posted .282/.365/.512 with an OPS of .876.

Last year in AAA, Brown had 390 at bats and batted .308/.364/.597 with an OPS of .961 and 24 home runs.

The year before that in AAA, 359 ab's .284/.382/.501 with OPS of .883 and 20 home runs.

From his stats alone, Andrew Brown is at least a platoon player. The question is, what held him back?

Sources: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=brown-004and

Now we will look at the scouting report.

There wasn't much in the way of scouting for Andrew Brown, but this is what I dug up.

This is an article from the Cardinals. Brown is a "bat first player who put steady power numbers throughout his time in the minors. His strikeout rate and ability to cover the strikezone will be the primary concerns at the big league level as his defense will never secure him a roster spot."
http://www.futureredbirds.net/2011/10/12/andrew-brown-claimed-on-waivers/

In this article, Brown is labeled a 'sleeper prospect' with the Cardinals. They do mention that, "Brown is behind too many similar players on the depth chart—Allen Craig, Mark Hamilton, Stavinoha, with Matt Adams coming up behind him in AA."
http://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-cardinals/2011/5/31/2197050/st-louis-cardinals-prospects-andrew-brown

In this final article, Brown has elected free agency over the Rockies. "He’s yet to be given a full-time opportunity to translate those numbers in the big leagues, and has now opted to choose his next chance rather than go back to the minors."
http://www.baseballanimals.com/andrew-brown-elects-free-agency/

This brings him to us. So what do we know about Andrew Brown? He is a good offensive player who can struggle at the plate sometimes. He has power but lacks in fielding. He never got an opportunity with a big league team even after posting ridiculous numbers at AAA two years in a row, always being surpassed by more 'elite' prospects. So basically, we have a guy with massive potential but has always lacked an opportunity. I love the minor league deal signing and cannot wait to see him tryout for the team.

For visual reference, here is a video of Brown mashing a huge home run. Enjoy.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130102&content_id=40827340&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

Whats' your Kool-Aid flavor today? It's pathetic that a Cards MiLB reject not even at the top of the MiLB depth chart should be a consideration as a starting outfielder for the Mets. And don't let that Colorado air fool you into thinking he's some stud in the making. Sure, give him a shot but I won't get excited until he proves himself.

He's The Animal redux.

Colin Cowgill is very similar in profile to Brown. I believe Cowgill is supposed to be a better fielder and much faster, though.

All in all, Brown can be a great platoon split. If he takes the role of Hairston, I'd be more than pleased.

Here are Cowgill stats if you're curious. 2011 in AAA, he hit .354/.430/.554 with an OPS of .984 in 395 at bats. 13 home runs and 30 stolen bases.

Last year he floated around a lot, but did have 104 at bats in Oakland posting a .269/.336/.317 while hitting lefties .318/.412/.432 OPS of .884.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cowgico01.shtml

He'll probably be okay, but I would try to trade him for Nick Evans.

I feel better about Cowgill because of greater mlb experience and a solid glove. Brown doesn't really have a glove. The comparison between Brown and Hairston is tempting, but Brown has a big jump to mlb to make and has yet to make the inevitable adjustments to be a solid platoon player like Hairston.

You're right. Both are unproven at this level. I am still excited to see the competition in camp this spring between all these outfielders though.