McCade Brown

McCade Brown
Colorado Rockies – No. 51
Pitcher
Born: (2000-08-15) August 15, 2000
Normal, Illinois, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 24, 2025, for the Colorado Rockies
MLB statistics
(through 2025 season)
Win–loss record0–5
Earned run average7.36
Strikeouts23
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams

McCade David Brown (born August 15, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Amateur career

Brown attended Normal Community West High School in Normal, Illinois.[1] He considered quitting baseball before making the varsity team, but continued after his mother arranged private training for him.[2] His school's baseball team won two regional championships and a conference championship. In 2018, he went 8–2 with a 1.64 ERA and a school-record 124 strikeouts.[3]

Brown then played college baseball at Indiana University. He pitched only 6+2⁄3 innings during his first two seasons with the Hoosiers, with the 2020 season ending early due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] That summer, he pitched in collegiate summer baseball for the Normal CornBelters in the Kernels Collegiate League.[4] He was named the player of the week by Collegiate Baseballand D1Baseball and pitcher of the week by Perfect Game and the Big 10 Conference after striking out a school-record 16 Penn State batters in seven scoreless, no-hit innings on March 13, 2021.[5][6][7] That season, he was 5–4 with a 3.39 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 61 innings. He was named to the All-Big Ten second team.[3]

Professional career

2021–2024: Draft and injury

The Colorado Rockies selected Brown in the third round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft. He signed, receiving a $760,000 signing bonus.[8][9] He pitched four games that summer for the Arizona Complex League (ACL) Rockies.[10] Injuries bookended his 2022 season, with shoulder soreness keeping him out for the first month and an elbow injury on September 3 closing out his season. He was 4–4 with a 5.22 ERA for the Single-A Fresno Grizzlies. He had a platelet-rich plasma injection in September, then opted for Tommy John surgery and an ulnar nerve transposition in early 2023.[8][11][12]

Brown came back from elbow surgery in May 2024 with the ACL Rockies.[8] He returned to Fresno later in the season, going a combined 1–3 with a 6.85 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 28+2⁄3 innings pitched for the two teams. He then pitched in 8 games for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League.[10] During the offseason, he changed the grip on his changeup.[8]

2025: MLB debut

Brown began the 2025 season with the High-A Spokane Indians, advancing to the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats in late May. There, pitching coach Dan Meyer encouraged Brown to pitch more efficiently, challenging him to get batters out in five pitches or fewer.[8]

On August 24, the Rockies selected Brown to their 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues.[1][13] He made his MLB debut that day against the Pittsburgh Pirates, losing to Paul Skenes.[14][2] Brown went 0–5 in his first season in the majors with a 7.36 ERA and 23 strikeouts, allowing six home runs and 17 walks in 25+2⁄3 innings over 7 starts.[15]

Personal life

Brown is married. His mother is the head volleyball coach at Illinois Wesleyan University, and his father is a Bloomington, Illinois police officer.[2][16] He has a sister.[3]

In high school, Brown played soccer for four years.[3] He played basketball for two years, quitting to focus on training for baseball.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Reinhardt, Randy (2025-08-23). "Big move for Normal West graduate McCade Brown to majors". pantagraph.com. Archived from the original on 2025-09-15.
  2. ^ a b c d Kindred, Randy (2025-09-09). "Normal West grad McCade Brown goes from nearly 'stepping away' to baseball's biggest stage". WGLT. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  3. ^ a b c d e "McCade Brown - Baseball". Indiana University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  4. ^ Brown Impresses at KCL This Summer. WMBD News. 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2025-12-20 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Miller, Mike (2021-03-14). "McCade Brown was absolutely filthy on Saturday — again". The Crimson Quarry. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  6. ^ "Indiana's Brown Earns National, Big Ten Honors". Indiana University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  7. ^ Granger, Burke (2021-03-16). "D1Baseball/AstroTurf Player of the Week: Indiana's McCade Brown". D1Baseball. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  8. ^ a b c d e Etkin, Jack (2025-08-01). "Pitcher McCade Brown Bounces Back". Medium. Colorado Rockies. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  9. ^ "McCade Brown | MLB Contracts & Salaries". Spotrac. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  10. ^ a b Colorado Rockies (2025). Colorado Rockies 2025 Media Guide. p. 329.
  11. ^ Harding, Thomas (2025-08-24). "McCade Brown strikes out two in MLB debut". MLB.com. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  12. ^ "A Spokane Indians pitcher in May, McCade Brown is headed to the major leagues". krem.com. 2025-08-22. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  13. ^ "Rockies release Gomber, set to call up prospect Brown". MLB.com. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  14. ^ "McCade Brown to Make MLB Debut on Sunday". MiLB.com.
  15. ^ "McCade Brown Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  16. ^ "Kim Nelson-Brown - Head Women's Volleyball Coach / Senior Associate AD - Sr. Women Administrator - Women's Volleyball Coaches". Illinois Wesleyan University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
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