Dusty Brown

DUSTY BROWN
CATCHER
Born: June 19, 1982
Height: 6′ 0″
Weight: 180
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Drafted: 35th Round, 1052nd Overall, 2000
How Acquired: Minor League FA
High School: Bradshaw Mountain (Prescott Valley, AZ)
Agent: N/A

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

Brown slowly worked his way up the Red Sox organization after being drafted out of high school and then signing as a draft-and-follow.  He eventually made it to the 40-man roster and spent a little time in the majors when the Sox needed a backup catcher.  With no more options left, the Sox removed him from the roster in October 2010 and the Pirates signed him to a minor league deal with a non-roster invite.  Boston considered him a good defensive catcher; his career minor league CS% is 26% and his PB totals were reasonable at the upper levels.

2001-02:  Brown spent 2001 and the majority of 2002 in rookie ball.  He had a .646 OPS the first year, then improved to .843 the second.  His plate discipline improved a lot as he went from seven walks and 24 Ks to 23 walks and 24 Ks.  In 2008, he stole 11 bases in 15 tries.  In eight minor league seasons after 2003, he only attempted another 13.  Brown spent a few weeks in the New York-Penn League in 2008 and hit 282/371/346.

2003:  Spent the year in low A, playing about two-thirds of the time, and hit 263/358/386.

2004-05:  Brown spent two years in high A.  In 2004 he played only 38 games, so he must have been hurt.  His OPS was .601.  At the same level in 2005, he played about half the time and hit 256/348/420.  He showed some power for the first time, with eight HRs, and also had decent plate discipline, with 31 walks and 52 Ks.

2006:  Brown moved up to AA and was the primary catcher, but he struggled at the plate, hitting 224/284/332.

2007: A strong 2007 season in AA, including solid power, got Brown a spot on the 40-man roster.  He hit 268/344/453 while playing about half the time.  The Red Sox, though, had George Kotteras and Kevin Cash in AAA, so Brown got into only a few games there.

2008:  Brown continued to hit well, 290/377/471, in AAA.  That included a career-high 12 HRs in about two-thirds of a season.

2009-10:  Brown served as AAA catching depth both years, getting brief callups that totaled 14 games and 16 ABs over the two years.  His hitting dropped off in AAA.  He had a .674 OPS in 2009 and .718 in 2010.

2011:  Brown served as AAA catching depth, sharing the position at first with Wyatt Toregas and then with Jason Jaramillo.  He was the Indians’ best hitter over the first two months, although he didn’t play every day.  For the season he batted 285/367/506 in 54 AAA games.  When Ryan Doumit got hurt at the end of May, Jaramillo was struggling with a sore elbow, so the Pirates added Brown to the 40-man roster and brought him up.  The callup didn’t last long, though, as Brown didn’t play well in very limited action.  His receiving skills weren’t good and he went just 3-for-28 with one walk and ten strikeouts, so the Pirates replaced him with Eric Fryer.  Brown cleared waivers and was assigned to AAA.  He played part-time the rest of the season.

Brown will be a minor league free agent after the season.  Given how unimpressed the Pirates were with his catching skills, it’s unlikely they’d want to re-sign him.

STATS
Baseball Reference–Majors
Baseball Reference–Minors
Fangraphs
MLB.com
MiLB.com
CONTRACT INFORMATION
2011: Minor League Contract
2010: $402,000
2009: $400,000
PLAYER INFORMATION
Signing Bonus: N/A
MiLB Debut: 6/19/2001
MLB Debut: 6/23/2009
MiLB FA Eligible: Eligible
MLB FA Eligible: N/A
Rule 5 Eligible: Eligible
Added to 40-Man: N/A
Options Remaining: 0 (USED: 2008, 2009, 2010)
MLB Service Time: 0.045
TRANSACTIONS
June 5, 2000: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 35th round, 1052nd overall; signed on May 25, 2001.
October 29, 2007: Contract purchased by the Boston Red Sox.
October 7, 2010: Outrighted to AAA by the Boston Red Sox.
December 1, 2010: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a minor league free agent.
May 30, 2011: Contract purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
June 25, 2011:  Designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates; outrighted to AAA on June 29.