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Larry Leslie Brown
Cleveland Indians
Shortstop
Born: March 1, 1940, Shinnston, WV
Signed: Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1963-71; Oakland Athletics 1971-72; Baltimore Orioles 1973; Texas Rangers 1974
Died: April 13, 2024, Stuart, FL (age 84)
Larry Brown was a steady-fielding, light-hitting middle infielder for parts of 12 seasons with four different American League teams. Most of his career was spent with the Indians, where he was a regular at shortstop in 1967 and 1968. Brown was a career .233 batter and enjoyed his best seasons at the plate in 1965 (.253 average, 22 doubles) and 1968 (.234 average, career-high 116 hits). He suffered a scary injury on May 4, 1966, colliding with teammate Leon Wagner (#187) on a play and suffering a skull fracture. Brown missed six weeks of the season while recovering.
Larry Brown was a steady-fielding, light-hitting middle infielder for parts of 12 seasons with four different American League teams. Most of his career was spent with the Indians, where he was a regular at shortstop in 1967 and 1968. Brown was a career .233 batter and enjoyed his best seasons at the plate in 1965 (.253 average, 22 doubles) and 1968 (.234 average, career-high 116 hits). He suffered a scary injury on May 4, 1966, colliding with teammate Leon Wagner (#187) on a play and suffering a skull fracture. Brown missed six weeks of the season while recovering.
A semi-regular with the Indians throughout the 1960s, he ultimately lost his starting job in early 1970 when Jack Heidemann took over as the team's regular shortstop. Brown was sold to the Athletics the following season, and he'd play four seasons as a back-up infielder or pinch-hitter with the Athletics, Orioles and Rangers. He retired following the 1974 season. In 1,129 career games, Brown collected 803 hits and had 47 home runs with 254 RBIs.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #446
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
Once again the opening day shortstop for the Indians, Brown eventually lost playing time to rookie Eddie Leon, with Leon taking over the regular job in July. With Leon now at shortstop, Brown still got an occasional start at third base over the remaining months of the season. In 132 games, Brown batted .239 with 10 doubles, four home runs and 24 RBIs.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #301
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1964-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #416
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 53 in the Beckett online database as of 12/29/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables. The aim was simple: Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664.
In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the second of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card was less than a dollar.
The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
There's a chance the photos used for Brown's Topps cards between 1966 and 1969 were all taken at the same photo session.
Similar to his 1965 Topps card, Brown's older brother Dick is referenced on the back. Dick Brown was a catcher for the Indians (1957-59), White Sox (1960), Tigers (1961-62) and Orioles (1963-65). The elder Brown, at the time a scout for the Orioles, tragically passed away in April 1970 at the age of 35 from a brain tumor. He appeared in his sixth and final Topps flagship set in 1963.
Accuracy Index: Brown's card receives a +5.
1969 Season
Once again the opening day shortstop for the Indians, Brown eventually lost playing time to rookie Eddie Leon, with Leon taking over the regular job in July. With Leon now at shortstop, Brown still got an occasional start at third base over the remaining months of the season. In 132 games, Brown batted .239 with 10 doubles, four home runs and 24 RBIs.
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First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #301
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1964-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #416
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 53 in the Beckett online database as of 12/29/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog
1965 Topps Blog
#502 Minnie Rojas - California Angels / #504 6th Series Checklist 513-588
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