During my week in Arizona at the Royals scout school, I came in contact with a great deal of people and made numerous friends. I’m already closer to some of the guys I met in Surprise than I am to many people I see and talk to everyday. I guess there IS something to the fraternity of baseball.

Anyway, one of the guys I got to know well while at scout school was former Major League outfielder, Roosevelt Brown. “Rosey,” as we got to know him, was also a student in the class. He wasn’t the only former professional ball player to take part, but he was the only former Major Leaguer.

Rosey was downright entertaining. He kept everyone loose and laughing, he had a ton of stories to tell, and he knew just about everyone…former players, coaches, scouts, etc. While watching the Diamondbacks take batting practice on our last assignment at Chase Field, Rosey yelled out “AD!” toward center field from the 3rd base stands. Two minutes later, Adam Dunn comes jogging over and says, “Rosey, how the hell are you? What are you doing here?” It seemed like everyone knew Rosey and genuinely liked him. He was kind of like our mayor!

Roosevelt Brown, the baseball player, was a 5′10″ 200 lb outfielder originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 20th round of the June 1993 First Year Player Draft. He was later traded to the Florida Marlins in August 1996 for Terry Pendleton. The Cubs scooped up Rosey in the Rule V draft in December 1997, and Brown went on to play parts of four Major League seasons with the Cubs. During two separate stints with the big club, he put up some impressive numbers only to be relegated to the bench. The Cubs eventually released Rosey in November 2002. He later left the states for Southeast Asia, where he played two successful seasons of pro ball in Japan.

I learned a great deal this past September just from listening to Roosevelt Brown. I learned how to pick up certain pitches, the different spots a pitcher might show the ball in his wind-up, and how to approach each at bat. I also learned that I’ll never be able to understand hitting like someone who is born with the ability to smack around a baseball.

Today Rosey emailed me that he had been hired as the hitting instructor for the Atlanta Braves AA affiliate in Mississippi. Honestly, I can’t think of a better choice. Rosey has proven he can hit. But even more than that, he’s proven, at least to me, that he’s an engaging teacher who has the patience to pass along his knowledge to young players. I congratulate the Braves on a fantastic selection. And of course, I am extremely excited for you, Rosey, and proud to call you my friend.