Ron Brand

Born: 1/13/1940 in Los Angeles, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1963-05-26 | Final Game: 1971-09-25

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'7" | Weight: 167 lbs

Full name: Ronald George Brand

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Biography

Ron Brand, born in 1940, was an American professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1963 to 1971. As a position player, Brand participated in a total of 568 games, primarily showcasing his skills as a catcher. Over the course of his career, he recorded 322 hits, 3 home runs, and 106 runs batted in, finishing with a batting average of .239. Known for his versatility behind the plate and solid defensive abilities, Brand contributed to his teams not only with his bat but also with his leadership and game management skills. Brand played during a transformative period in Major League Baseball, marked by the rise of power hitters and the increasing importance of analytics in evaluating player performance. While he may not have been a prolific offensive force, his ability to steal bases—totaling 20 throughout his career—demonstrated his speed and agility, which were valuable assets for a catcher of his time. His contributions to the teams he played for, including the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Montreal Expos, left a lasting impression on the game, particularly in a decade that saw the evolution of playing styles and strategies within the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
568	1345	108	322	34	7	3	106	20	112	126	0.239	0.303	0.282	0.585	-3051.3

Career AVG .239 vs. league average .247 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .303 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .282 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 23.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.585 vs. league average 0.680 across their career seasons — 14.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1963	PIT	NL	46	66	8	19	2	0	1	7	0	10	11	0.288	.246 (+17%)	.308 (+26%)	.371 (-2%)	.680 (+11%)	174.2
1965	HOU	NL	117	391	27	92	6	3	2	37	10	19	34	0.235	.245 (-4%)	.310 (-10%)	.371 (-24%)	.682 (-18%)	-1234.9
1966	HOU	NL	56	123	12	30	2	0	0	10	0	9	13	0.244	.248 (-2%)	.309 (-3%)	.376 (-31%)	.685 (-18%)	-341.3
1967	HOU	NL	84	215	22	52	8	1	0	18	4	23	17	0.242	.242 (avg)	.306 (+5%)	.357 (-19%)	.663 (-8%)	-213.2
1968	HOU	NL	43	81	7	13	2	0	0	4	1	9	11	0.160	.236 (-32%)	.298 (-13%)	.340 (-46%)	.638 (-30%)	-336.1
1969	WSN	NL	103	287	19	74	12	0	0	20	2	30	19	0.258	.248 (+4%)	.320 (+2%)	.369 (-19%)	.689 (-9%)	-412.8
1970	WSN	NL	72	126	10	30	2	3	0	9	2	9	16	0.238	.253 (-6%)	.325 (-12%)	.385 (-22%)	.711 (-17%)	-407.9
1971	WSN	NL	47	56	3	12	0	0	0	1	1	3	5	0.214	.249 (-14%)	.316 (-20%)	.365 (-41%)	.682 (-31%)	-279.5

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	16	7	18	25	1	5
3B	26	13	14	25	3	3
C	350	279	1928	168	25	25
OF	21	7	13	1	0	1
SS	41	13	47	79	6	18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1963	PIT	2B	2	0	2	0	0	0
1963	PIT	3B	2	0	1	0	0	1
1963	PIT	C	33	16	138	13	5	3
1965	HOU	3B	6	5	7	5	0	2
1965	HOU	C	102	94	585	54	8	8
1965	HOU	OF	5	5	6	1	0	1
1966	HOU	2B	9	7	15	23	1	5
1966	HOU	3B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1966	HOU	C	25	15	132	6	2	1
1966	HOU	OF	3	2	3	0	0	0
1967	HOU	2B	1	0	0	1	0	0
1967	HOU	C	67	55	397	36	1	3
1967	HOU	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1968	HOU	3B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1968	HOU	C	29	18	153	14	0	3
1968	HOU	OF	1	0	1	0	0	0
1969	MON	C	84	79	492	44	8	7
1969	MON	OF	2	0	0	0	0	0
1970	MON	2B	3	0	1	1	0	0
1970	MON	3B	12	8	6	18	3	0
1970	MON	C	9	2	30	1	1	0
1970	MON	OF	5	0	1	0	0	0
1970	MON	SS	19	7	22	37	3	8
1971	MON	2B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1971	MON	3B	4	0	0	2	0	0
1971	MON	C	1	0	1	0	0	0
1971	MON	OF	4	0	2	0	0	0
1971	MON	SS	22	6	25	42	3	10