‘Warrior Way’ led Brown to the major leagues, Athletics

In the month since Seth Brown was called up to the Oakland Athletics, he has racked up a series of goose bump-raising moments, such as:

Preparing to bat at a packed Yankee Stadium while flamethrowing reliever Aroldis Chapman warmed up.

Being held on first by Los Angeles Angels star Albert Pujols.

Shaking hands with retired slugger Mark McGwire.

Sometimes it seems like a dream for Brown. But then the former Lewis-Clark State College player looks around at his teammates and snaps back to reality.

“Seeing everybody do their thing, it’s like, ‘OK, these guys are just doing the same thing I’m doing — they’re just getting ready to play,’” Brown said in a recent phone interview. “So that’s helped me keep it in perspective. ... It’s the same game, there’s just more people involved and more people watching.”

Brown, a 27-year-old major league rookie who was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 26, has provided the A’s with a reliable left-handed bat, usually appearing against right-handed pitching. He is 22-for-67 (.328) with eight doubles, two triples and 13 RBI for a team trying to nail down an American League wild-card playoff berth with four days remaining in the regular season.

Brown was on LCSC’s active roster just one season, in spring 2015, but he made it a memorable one, smashing an NAIA-best 23 home runs in leading the Warriors to their first national title in seven years. He was a junior that season, but left for the pros after being drafted by the A’s in the 19th round.

While Brown’s big splash with the Warriors came in four years ago, almost as crucial for his career was the previous year. Brown was an LCSC redshirt in 2014 while he gained academic eligibility, and it was during that idle season he sharpened his focus.

“It took me most of my redshirt year, if not all of it, to really understand that the ‘Warrior Way’ isn’t just a baseball mindset — it’s a lifestyle,” he said. “It’s giving your best in every aspect of your life, and sacrificing ... things you want to do or things you think you want to do in order to better yourself and better your situation. ... That was something I really took to heart.”

Brown was in the middle of it all during his redshirt season — taking part in practice and resurfacing Harris Field with his teammates. So even though he wasn’t playing, “He meant more to the program than any redshirt I’ve ever had,” former LCSC coach Jeremiah Robbins said Wednesday.

When Brown played the following season, “He was the rock that moved that thing forward,” Robbins said. “We got second two years in a row, and he comes in and is a mainstay in our lineup, and really got us over the hump.”

Brown — who is originally from Klamath Falls, Ore., and now is married to former LCSC basketball player Brittaney Niebergall — toiled for parts of five seasons in the minor leagues. His career seemed to stall during two seasons at Stockton, Calif., the High Single-A team of the A’s, which occasionally made him wonder if that was as far as he would advance.

“When those thoughts would even begin to creep into my head, I would just say, ‘OK, time to step it up and go harder,’” Brown said.

His hard work paid off this summer when the A’s brought him up. In his MLB debut, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Brown went 2-for-6 in a 19-4 blowout of Kansas City, and he finished that series with a 4-for-5 outburst.

When Brown made his debut at RingCentral Coliseum on Sept. 3 — Robbins and former LCSC teammate Beau Kerns were on hand — he finished two triples in the A’s 7-5 win against the Angels.

“Seeing him out there was incredible, emotional — all the unbelievable words you can come up with,” said Robbins, now the coach at Umpqua Community College. “Shoot, he was 2-for-3 with two triples in that first game.”

But keeping his spot with the A’s could be difficult. Brown has gotten less playing time recently, and he isn’t assured of a place on the postseason roster if Oakland gets in.

Considering that, he is doing his best to savor every moment.

“As I continue to play up here, every day just feels like a dream,” Brown said. “It’s everything I ever dreamed it would be like as a kid, watching it on TV. It’s been an incredible ride and an incredible experience.”

Baney may be contacted at mbaney@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2262. Follow him on Twitter @MattBaney_Trib.