Willard Brown
Center Fielder · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1947-1949)
- Position
- Center Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 200 lb
- Died
- 8/4/1996 in Houston, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1947-07-19
- Last Game
- 1949-09-18
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 2006 (Negro League)
- Awards
- 5× All-Star
Full name: Willard Jessie Brown
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 473 | 1,818 | 368 | 643 | 139 | 46 | 63 | 432 | 95 | 137 | 16 | .354 | .400 | .585 | .985 | 11,037 |
Career AVG .354 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — +32.5% above league average.
Career OBP .400 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — +19.1% above league average.
Career SLG .585 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — +54.7% above league average.
Career OPS .985 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — +37.9% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | KCM | IND | 13 | 47 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 1 | .340 | — | — | — | — | 393.3 |
| 1936 | KCM | IND | 11 | 47 | 11 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .383 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1937 | KCM | NAL | 56 | 214 | 51 | 81 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 60 | 10 | 19 | 0 | .379 | .276 (+37%) | .342 (+26%) | .398 (+67%) | .740 (+48%) | 1761.1 |
| 1938 | KCM | NAL | 47 | 180 | 36 | 62 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 48 | 20 | 11 | 0 | .344 | .272 (+26%) | .341 (+12%) | .392 (+51%) | .734 (+33%) | 943.4 |
| 1939 | KCM | NAL | 45 | 179 | 36 | 64 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 44 | 9 | 8 | 0 | .358 | .274 (+30%) | .342 (+12%) | .393 (+49%) | .735 (+32%) | 868.9 |
| 1940 | KCM | NAL | 3 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1941 | KCM | NAL | 42 | 159 | 35 | 54 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 34 | 14 | 16 | 1 | .340 | .262 (+30%) | .332 (+21%) | .373 (+50%) | .705 (+36%) | 948.2 |
| 1942 | KCM | NAL | 46 | 182 | 36 | 69 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 38 | 7 | 16 | 1 | .379 | .253 (+50%) | .323 (+33%) | .349 (+62%) | .672 (+48%) | 1383.7 |
| 1943 | KCM | NAL | 54 | 204 | 33 | 68 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 33 | 4 | 16 | 0 | .333 | .255 (+30%) | .324 (+18%) | .346 (+50%) | .671 (+34%) | 1083.5 |
| 1944 | KCM | NAL | 3 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | KCM | NAL | 38 | 145 | 30 | 48 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 27 | 3 | 7 | 2 | .331 | .256 (+29%) | .328 (+10%) | .358 (+54%) | .687 (+33%) | 660.6 |
| 1947 | KCM | NAL | 48 | 200 | 42 | 75 | 22 | 7 | 6 | 64 | 12 | 15 | 0 | .375 | .262 (+43%) | .336 (+25%) | .376 (+71%) | .712 (+50%) | 1573.7 |
| 1947 | SLA | AL | 21 | 67 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 7 | .179 | .262 (-32%) | .336 (-47%) | .376 (-29%) | .712 (-37%) | 1573.7 |
| 1948 | KCM | NAL | 46 | 174 | 43 | 71 | 23 | 2 | 7 | 54 | 8 | 22 | 3 | .408 | .263 (+55%) | .340 (+40%) | .379 (+80%) | .719 (+61%) | 1835.5 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 473 | 1,818 | 368 | 643 | 139 | 46 | 63 | 432 | 95 | 137 | 16 | .354 | — | — | — | — | 13,026 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (459 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 310 | 1073 | 251 | 401 | 53 | 256 | .374 |
| Away | 149 | 490 | 101 | 205 | 29 | 101 | .418 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-09-05 | KCM | NY6 | L | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-04 | KCM | NY6 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-04 | KCM | NY6 | W | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-11 | KCM | HOE | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-10 | KCM | HOE | L | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-09 | KCM | HOE | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-08 | KCM | HOE | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | KCM | HOE | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | KCM | HOE | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-05 | KCM | MEM | W | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2B | 12 | 12 | 30 | 34 | 6 | 3 |
| 3B | 9 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 2 |
| OF | 404 | 383 | 740 | 35 | 32 | 10 |
| SS | 52 | 48 | 72 | 122 | 18 | 20 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | KCM | SS | 13 | 13 | 16 | 27 | 9 | 8 |
| 1936 | KCM | SS | 11 | 11 | 14 | 36 | 3 | 5 |
| 1937 | KCM | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937 | KCM | OF | 41 | 39 | 47 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937 | KCM | SS | 19 | 17 | 28 | 42 | 5 | 5 |
| 1938 | KCM | 3B | 6 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 1938 | KCM | OF | 41 | 41 | 67 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1938 | KCM | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | KCM | 3B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | KCM | OF | 44 | 44 | 66 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 1939 | KCM | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | KCM | OF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941 | KCM | 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1941 | KCM | OF | 42 | 41 | 68 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1942 | KCM | OF | 46 | 46 | 97 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| 1943 | KCM | OF | 50 | 50 | 116 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 1943 | KCM | SS | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 1944 | KCM | OF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | KCM | 2B | 12 | 12 | 30 | 34 | 6 | 3 |
| 1946 | KCM | OF | 26 | 26 | 62 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947 | KCM | OF | 45 | 45 | 105 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| 1947 | KCM | SS | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947 | SLA | OF | 18 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948 | KCM | OF | 46 | 46 | 68 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 12 |
| Third Base | 9 |
| Shortstop | 52 |
| Left Field | 108 |
| Center Field | 272 |
| Right Field | 24 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Willard Brown (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Willard Brown
Frequently Asked Questions about Willard Brown
- What years did Willard Brown play?
- Willard Brown played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1949.
- Was Willard Brown a pitcher?
- No. Willard Brown was a position player (Center Fielder).
- How many home runs did Willard Brown hit?
- Willard Brown hit 63 career home runs with 643 hits.
- Is Willard Brown in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Willard Brown was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.