It's been quite a journey for Seth Brown. The 27-year-old A's rookie outfielder definitely took the long route to the majors, but he is making up for lost time.
In just five major-league games, Brown has already notched 10 hits, including three doubles, and seven RBI. Following a 3-for-3 performance against the Yankees on Friday night, Brown has strung together seven consecutive hits over his last two games.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"It's just awesome," he told reporters. "It's hard to describe. I'm just happy I'm out here and I'm happy I'm pulling my weight."
Brown grew up in Klamath Falls, Oregon before moving to Medford prior to his senior year of high school. He started his college career at Linn-Benton Community College in Oregon and transferred to Lewis-Clark State College after his sophomore year, where he played for head coach Jeremiah Robbins.
"It's a military-style program where he demands perfection," Brown said. "He changed my life and showed me the type of player I want to be and the type of man I want to be."
The A's drafted Brown in the 19th round of the 2015 MLB Draft. Though he never made any top-30 prospect lists, he gradually rose through the Oakland minor-league system, putting up impressive offensive numbers along the way.
Oakland Athletics
After nearly five full seasons in the minors, Brown finally got to make his major-league debut Monday in Kansas City.
"It was an indescribable feeling," Brown said. I don't have the words. ... It's been an incredible journey for me. I've got so many people to thank for the support and help along the way. It's been an incredible ride."
A's manager Bob Melvin is still just getting to know his new outfielder, but he's already impressed.
"He's just a fighter," Melvin told reporters. "You would expect younger guys to maybe ease their way in to where you're seeing that kind of confidence. But we saw it in his first at-bat. He's playing a great outfield on top of that and then he comes in and gets a big pinch-hit (Friday night). He's having a lot of fun with this big-league thing right now."
Brown essentially forced the A's hand with his production in Triple-A this season. In 112 games, he slashed .297/.352/.634 with 37 home runs and 104 RBI.
[RELATED: Profar doing best to keep job]
"For me, it was just kind of nailing down and approach, regardless of who's on the mound," Brown explained. "Having that same routine every day, having that same approach day in and day out, that's been the biggest help for me this season."
That production has now carried over to the big leagues, at least through five games. It sure looks like Brown is here to stay.