once and again and again

Vicksburg native Roosevelt Brown has several noteworthy highlights on his baseball resume. The former outfielder, who was announced as the Double-A Mississippi Braves’ hitting coach on Thursday, was drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of high school. He won a Triple-A batting title. Made it to the big leagues. Played in Japan’s big leagues, too. But this is the best tidbit: Brown was once traded, straight up, for a former National League MVP. In 1996, when Atlanta was looking for help during an NL East title drive, the Braves sent Brown to the Florida Marlins for Terry Pendleton, who had won NL MVP honors with Atlanta in 1991. Brown, a Braves fan growing up, once said he was crushed by the trade. But he got over it. He ultimately made it to the big leagues with the Chicago Cubs in 1999. The Braves actually gave him another shot in 2005, signing Brown as a free agent and inviting him to their big league camp. He didn’t make the club and spent the year, his last as a player, in Triple-A with the Chicago White Sox. Now, the Braves are bringing Brown back one more time. He’ll have some big-time prospects to work with at Trustmark Park. And a chance to add some highlights to his resume. It’ll take something grand to top that 1996 trade.