Primary Positions: Second base, third base, shortstop
Birthplace: Jamesville
Full Name: James Roberson
Date of Birth: April 25, 1910 Date and Place of Death: Dec. 29, 1977, Bath
Burial: Brown Family Cemetery, Jamesville
High School: Jamesville High School
College: N.C. State University, Raleigh
Bats: Both Throws: R Height and Weight: 5-8, 165
Debut Year: 1937 Final Year: 1946 Years Played: 8
Teams and Years: St. Louis Cardinals, 1937-43; Pittsburgh Pirates, 1946
Career Summary
G AB H R RBI HR BA. OBP. SLG. WAR
890 3512 980 465 319 9 .279 .326 .352 +8.6
Awards/Honors: All-Star, 1942: Boys of Summer Top 100
There was a time in baseball when players like Jimmy Brown were called pepper pots. Such players were, like the 5-8 Brown, small in stature but scrappy in nature. Like him, their uniforms were always dirty, and their shirttails were usually hanging out. Also, like Brown, they played aggressively, attacking every pitch and diving for every ball. And they were loud. Brown’s rapid-fire chatter in the infield was once compared to one of those tobacco auctioneers back home.
Brown anchored the pre-World War II infield for the St. Louis Cardinals for seven years, playing every position but first base. One of the toughest batters to strikeout in the National League, he usually led off and hit .300 or close to it most seasons. His .279 career batting average ties for 20th place among North Carolina players with at least 1,000 at bats. He was an All Star one of those seasons and a Word Series victor.