In 1994, when the A's were on the clock in the sixth round of the MLB amateur draft, they peeked at the remaining talent and quickly breezed over their notes before selecting a community college outfielder with the 149th pick. What they didn't anticipate happening was that it would take almost 14 years before the investment would start paying dividends.
Emil Brown quietly inked a one-year deal in January with the A's -- the second time in his career he would sign on the dotted line with Oakland. Only this time, he has had a more immediate impact. Brown entered play Thursday second in the AL with 25 RBI, which is better than the likes of David Ortiz, Justin Morneau and even Alex Rodriguez. Talk about your early-season surprises.
"I knew he was a good RBI guy in Kansas City, but he's even better than advertised," Oakland manager Bob Geren told MLB.com. "He has a real solid approach up there, and he seems to take it up a notch with runners in scoring position."
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Emil Brown is among the league leaders in RBI through the first month.
(Getty Images)
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Brown was initially drafted out of high school by the Twins in 1993. He was a 37th round selection. He nixed a deal to play for Minnesota and headed for Indian River Community College (Fla.). It would take only one season for him to increase his draft stock by 31 rounds. The A's welcomed him into their family in 1994, but it would take more than a decade before he made it to the Bay Area.
The Chicago native made his MLB debut in 1997 with the Pirates, who snagged him in the 1996 Rule 5 draft. He spent the entire season with Pittsburgh and even collected his first major league hit off the great Fernando Valenzuela. However, after his Rule 5 status cleared, Brown was back in the minors by 1998. He spent most of the season at Double-A, but earned All-Star status and was considered the Pirates' third best prospect. Still, Brown was a blip on the MLB radar screen.
Brown would spend the next few seasons trying to crack the majors on a permanent basis, but Pittsburgh wasn't interested. He was eventually dealt to San Diego in the summer of 2001. Little did Brown or anyone else know, Aug. 2, 2001 would mark his last game in the majors until 2005.
The 6-2, 210-pound outfielder spent the 2002-04 seasons toiling around the minors. He even had a stint in the Mexican League. Brown had hit rock bottom and it looked as though his MLB aspirations were vanishing.
Enter the Kansas City Royals. Brown showed up to camp in 2005 as a non-roster invitee and performed well enough to make the team. He turned out to be a bargain. Brown would lead the team in RBI for three straight seasons. But after a down year in 2007 (.257, 6 HR, 62 RBI), Kansas City washed their hands of him.
Oakland signed the 33-year-outfielder in the offseason, and A's general manager Billy Beane is yet again receiving a plethora of congratulatory remarks for finding a diamond in the rough.
Brown is off to a fast start in 2008, which is unusual seeing how he tends to struggle out of the gate. In April 2005, he hit .161. In April 2006, he hit .227. And in April 2007, he struggled to the tune of a .186 average. He must be having an out-of-body experience hitting .270 through Wednesday.
The question now remains -- what can Brown do for you? The veteran outfielder is a career .260 hitter in the majors, but if you take a peak at his minor league totals, he was a pretty solid performer. In seven stops in 10 minor league seasons, Brown hit .300 or better. He batted .280 or better in 10 of 13 stops down on the farm.
As far as his RBI total, Brown drove in 454 batters in 828 minor league games. In 2007 with the Royals, despite playing in just 113 games, he recorded a RBI every 5.9 at-bats.
"I led the (Royals) in RBI. I don't know if that means the team was really bad or I'm really good," Brown told MLB.com. "I don't know how you want to look at that. But I like run production. I like scoring runs and I like driving in runs. That means more to me than hitting .300."
Thus far in 2008, Brown is recording a RBI every 4.00 plate appearances. The A's aren't expecting him to slow down, but can Brown become a breakout Fantasy star at 33?
"When there's an RBI situation, I enjoy seeing him going to the plate," Geren said. "His hitting style is conducive to driving in runs. He works inside the ball. He uses the big field. That's going to drive in a lot of runs over the long haul. He stays in the gaps. He has a nice approach up there. That's what it's all about, really."
Call to the Bench -- We feel this player might be worthy of adding to Fantasy rosters for the long haul
Ryan Church, OF, N.Y. Mets
Owned: 59 percent of leagues
Analysis: Church progressively improved every season he was in the majors starting in 2004 and 2008 is lining up to be his best. Trading a top prospect like Lastings Milledge to land Church seemed a little foolish at first, but it has not been the case. Church is hitting .316 with three homers and 19 RBI through the early season. Church spent some time hitting in the two-hole (.381), but the Mets seem to have found him an even better spot -- fifth -- behind Carlos Beltran. His average (.259) still might be a little low hitting fifth, but the RBI chances will be there if David Wright or Beltran can't deliver. Also, Church is not as high on scouting reports as some of the other Mets' hitters, so there is another added bonus as a forgotten hitter.
You're Out! -- We feel this player might have already peaked and his value could be on the decline, so Fantasy owners might want to cut bait ASAP
Livan Hernandez, SP, Minnesota
Owned: 54 percent of leagues
Analysis: When in Fantasy have a high ERA, high WHIP, low strikeout total and less than 15 wins ever won anybody a title? Because that's what the veteran Hernandez is going to supply this season. Sure, he started with three straight wins and a 2.57 ERA, but he has failed to win in his last three starts and has seen his ERA skyrocket to 5.05. This is the Hernandez you will see most of the season. Unlike Church, Hernandez has gotten progressively worse in the last three seasons. Remember, Hernandez was a desperation choice by the Twins to be their ace to open the season.
GDIPs -- We feel this player might not warrant as much Fantasy consideration as he is receiving and should be avoided in most instances
Brian Burres, SP, Baltimore
Owned: 18 percent of leagues
Analysis: A guy that wins three of his first four starts will catch anyone's attention, but we caution you when it comes to Burres. Let's take a deeper look at his numbers. The one that really jumps off the page is Burres on four days' rest and with more than four days' rest. In starts where he receives more than four days' rest, Burres is 3-0 with a 0.46 ERA. In his lone start on regular rest, he is 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA. Being a fifth starter, there was a good chance Burres gets skipped with an off day. Well, with an injury to Adam Loewen, Burres is no longer a fifth starter. He will now be pitching on regular rest more often than not. Just a few more bad stats to throw out: Burres has a 9.45 ERA with runners in scoring position; a 11.57 ERA with RISP and two outs; and his ERA is 9.95 when he is facing a lineup for the third time. Basically, he can't handle pressure with runners on base and he will have trouble working late into games.
Scouting -- We feel this player is on the verge of being a Fantasy reliable option, but still needs to be monitored over the next few weeks
Dioner Navarro, C, Tampa Bay
Owned: 24 percent of leagues
Analysis: Navarro is another one of those top prospects that never lived up to the billing in the majors. He was first a top youngster in the Yankees system before finding his way to the Dodgers organization in the three-team trade that sent Randy Johnson to New York. Navarro was the Dodgers initial choice to be the catcher of the future over Russell Martin before he failed miserably on the MLB stage. Martin didn't so Navarro was then traded to Tampa Bay. He didn't perform well in either 2006 or 2007, but Tampa Bay brought him back for one last run in 2008. Thus far, the move is paying off outside a freak stint on the DL. Navarro is hitting .400 with six RBI in 35 at-bats. Navarro doesn't have a lot of power, but if he can hit for a decent average and stay healthy, he might last as a viable Fantasy catcher.
Stopgap corner -- We feel this player might be worth using for the upcoming scoring period
Jeff Suppan, SP, Milwaukee
Owned: 29 percent of leagues
Analysis: Suppan is lining up to make two starts in Fantasy Week 6 (May 5-11). His starts will come at night on the road at Florida (Tuesday) and during the day at home against the Cardinals (May 11). Before allowing 11 runs (eight earned) to the Cubs Wednesday, Suppan had a 1.29 ERA in night starts. He will also be going on an extra day of rest before facing the Marlins. Suppan had a 1.98 ERA in two starts with extra rest this season before Wednesday's debacle. Suppan did well last season against one of his former teams -- the Cardinals. He was 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA and one complete game in three starts against St. Louis. The start will also come at home where Suppan was 9-3 with a 3.87 ERA last season and has a 1.29 ERA through two starts this season.
Farm Boys -- This segment is for those long-term keeper owners looking for the next Fantasy superstar
Nick Adenhart. SP, L.A. Angels
Owned: 6 percent of leagues
Analysis: Adenhart was a top high school pitcher, but his draft stock plummeted when he had Tommy John surgery as a senior. The Angels scooped him up as a 14th-round pick in 2004 and it could end up being a steal. Everyone has been talking about him since entering the Angels system in 2005. He had slowly worked his way back into shape before a breakout 2006 season with Class A Rancho Cucamonga and Cedar Rapids. He piled up 146 strikeouts in 158 1/3 innings. He posted a 1.95 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 16 starts with Cedar Rapids. He then had a solid encore performance with Double-A Arkansas in 2007. He went 10-8 with a 3.65 ERA and continues to build on his success. In five starts for Triple-A Salt Lake this season, Adenhart is 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA, which prompted the Angels to call him up for a start on Thursday vs. Oakland. It'll be interesting to see what the Angels do with him once John Lackey returns. His initial stint in the majors may be short-lived, depending on how he performs.
Doctor's Report -- This segment highlights a player on the verge of coming off the DL and ready to make an immediate Fantasy impact.
Rich Harden, SP, Oakland
Owned: 48 percent of leagues
Analysis: The Harden watch begins. Harden, who last made a start April 2, will have his first rehab outing for Triple-A Sacramento Thursday. Oakland has said it could take only one or two rehab outings before the hard-throwing righty is back in the majors. Harden's fondness for getting injured will drive a Fantasy owner batty, but the fact he is a dominating pitcher when healthy is just too hard to pass up. He has a career 3.54 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 446 strikeouts in 475 2/3 innings. Just start praying that this is the last time Harden goes on the DL in 2008.
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