On Sept. 6, the Cleveland Indians told Jordan Brown he would not be promoted to the big leagues. He was so steamed, so out of it, that he hit two home runs that night.
"What else could I do?" he says now. "It was my way of saying, 'This is what you're missing.'"
The Indians have lost 92 games. They were out of pennant contention in June. You'd think they would have sent the owner's private jet to Columbus, Ohio, chauffeured Brown to the airport and said "help!"
Instead they sent the former UA All-Pac-10 outfielder home to Oro Valley and suggested that he spend the off-season getting some extra cuts in Venezuela. Ever the good soldier, Brown leaves for Caracas on Friday.
Rather than condemn his employer, Brown says, "It's really frustrating to do what I've done and not have a single at-bat in the big leagues."
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Not to suggest that Brown is overdue for his major-league debut, but if you examine his minor-league career, you wonder if maybe he forgets to shower, or has written nasty letters to Mark Shapiro, the general manager of the Cleveland Indians.
At Kinston, N.C., in 2006, Brown was the Class A Player of the Year in the Carolina League. Numbers: .290 batting average, 15 homers, 87 RBIs.
At Akron, Ohio, in 2007, he was the Class AA Player of the Year in the Eastern League. Numbers: .333 batting average, 11 homers, 76 RBIs.
At Columbus, Ohio, this season, he won the International League batting championship and was selected to the Class AAA All-Star team. Numbers: .336 batting average, 15 homers, 67 RBIs.
And it's not as if he caught the Indians by surprise. He hit .336 with 80 RBIs in his final season at Arizona, 2005.
Do you realize what talent it takes to drive in 80 runs in a college baseball season? In the whole history of UA baseball, it has been accomplished by Ron Hassey, who played 14 big-league seasons; Terry Francona, manager of the Boston Red Sox; Alan Zinter, a first-round draft pick who played for the Astros and Diamondbacks; and Mike Senne, who was the MVP of the 1986 College World Series.
And by Jordan Brown.
The Indians thought so highly of Brown that they selected him in the fourth round of the '05 draft. His career profile was brimming with this-guy-is-a-big-leaguer data. He made the Cape Cod League all-star team in the summer of 2004. He was such a good prospect as a high school slugger in Vacaville, Calif., that he turned down offers from Arizona State and Arkansas to play for the UA's Andy Lopez.
So it's not as if Brown caught the Indians by surprise or they haven't had time to properly evaluate him.
He is not in the majors for two reasons: 1, it would've cost the frugal Indians about $60,000, the pro-rated portion of a rookie's minimum salary, to add him to the September roster; 2, the at-bats that might have gone to Brown are being given to Matt LaPorta, who was part of the deal in which Cleveland traded C.C.Sabathia to Milwaukee a year ago. To cover their political backsides, the Indians must trot out LaPorta if only to suggest they didn't get jobbed in the big trade.
When quizzed by reporters about Brown's absence, Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said, "It's the business of baseball. It's not just stat-oriented. Jordan had a great year, but it would be tough to find a position for him. Travis Hafner is our DH for now and moving forward. So, it's a tough fit for us."
The Indians are paying the injury-plagued Hafner $11.5 million this year and owe him roughly $34million through 2012. Such is Brown's dilemma. The timing couldn't be worse. He's ready for the big leagues, but the team that owns his rights, even though desperate for new blood, can't squeeze him onto its roster.
"I've got three options, and one is that they trade me," Brown says. "If the Indians don't place me on their 40-man roster in November, I'll be a free agent and move on. The third is that they give me a true shot at making the team in spring training."
That's unlikely, too. In spring training this year, the Indians gave Brown one start, 15 total at-bats. And the start was against Kansas City's Zack Greinke, who might be the best pitcher in baseball.
So Brown spends time here with his wife, Mindy, and 14-month-old son, Damon, before he leaves for Venezuela on Friday.
"My mindset is that I'm going to shut up and work hard," he says. "If the Indians don't want me, it's not like my profile will be erased and no one will know how I've produced over four years. No one said getting to the majors is easy, but one way or another, I'm going to get there."
