"In Rogers Lee Brown, Bobby to his friends, the Yankees possess one of the finest athletes in all of sports. In 1979, after 70 games with Columbus, the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, Bobby accumulated a staggering .349 batting average with eight home runs and 25 stolen bases to his credit. The Yankees quickly advanced him to the parent club in June and he responded by backing up the center field position with authority and confidence.
Last season, the 6'2", 207-pound man of steel stole 27 bases, hit 14 homers and, most important, played defense when it counted in place of his disabled teammate Ruppert Jones. Bobby was the regular center fielder for a large part of the '80 season and was duly noted for his work as he was named Player of the Week in the latter days of May.
But awards and official designations are secondary to his primary goal in baseball and that is, plain and simple, playing every day. Bobby would like to star in every game and contribute each and every time out. That's the kind of man he is! That's Bobby Brown ... a ballplayer ready to go on a moment's notice and able to give as often as he is called upon."
-The New York Yankees Official 1981 Yearbook
"Brown made the Yankees as a backup outfielder and got his chance to play when first Reggie Jackson then Ruppert Jones were hit with injuries. With Jones missing 76 games in '80, Brown was the regular center fielder for most of the season.
He was named the AL Player of the Week for the last week in May as he homered in each game of a three-game series in Toronto, May 30-June 1. On June 2 Bobby was batting .330 with five homers and 18 RBIs. He went on an 11-game hitting streak from September 22 through October 4 and finished with 27 stolen bases, second on the club to Willie Randolph's 30 and ninth in the league. Bobby stole three bases in Minnesota on July 28 and successfully stole in 12 of his last 13 attempts of 1980.
During his pro career, Brown has played in five different organizations (including two stints in the Yankee system) and has played for 12 different teams in 11 leagues, all in nine years. Originally selected by the Orioles in the 11th round of the June 1972 Free Agent Draft, he was released by the Oriole organization in April 1976 and signed a month later by the Phillie organization. In 1976, playing for Peninsula in the Carolina League, Brown was named to the All-Star team as an outfielder and led the league in batting (.349) and triples (10).
On June 14, 1978 Bobby was traded with Jay Johnstone to the Yankees for Rawly Eastwick, then drafted at the winter meetings that year from the Yankees by the Mets, who sold him on waivers three months later (March 1979) to Toronto. One month later (April 19) he was repurchased by the Yankee organization.
Bobby was up and down in 1979, beginning the year with the Blue Jays before returning to the Yankees. On April 20 he was loaned to San Juan of the short-lived Inter-American League, and on May 1 was transferred to Columbus and got hot at the plate. Bobby joined the Yankees on June 20, was sent back down on June 26 when the Yankees acquired Bobby Murcer and came back to the Yankees on July 8 when Mickey Rivers was disabled. He returned to Columbus on July 23 with Ed Figueroa coming off the disabled list. Bobby was back in New York on August 3 with Rivers being traded to Texas. George Scott was signed on August 27 and Bobby was back with Columbus and finished the International League season there. After that season he came back to New York for six more games.
Bobby ended up being named to the International League All-Star team, sharing honors with Dave Stapleton as the International League MVP, and being named to the Topps National Association AAA All-Star team.
He graduated from Northampton High (Norfolk, Virginia) where he played baseball and basketball. He led his baseball team to its first title in his senior year and was the MVP. Bobby signed his contract with Baltimore immediately following his high school graduation."
-1981 New York Yankees Media Guide
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