A local baseball team can now claim its first draftee into Major League Baseball.
The St. Clair Green Giants, a member of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate Baseball League (GLSCBL), announced Tuesday night that pitcher Hunter Brown, who played for the Green Giants in its inaugural season two years ago, has been drafted by the Houston Astros.
Brown, 20, was taken in the fifth round by the 2017 World Series champions, 166th overall, and now goes down in history as the first Green Giants alum to be drafted into a major league organization. Green Giants manager Dave Cooper said the Astros picked up a workhorse with an excellent work ethic and the ability to eat a lot of innings.
"There’s nobody who will work harder than Hunter Brown," said Cooper. "He did that when he was here and that’s why he has continued to develop."
Cooper, who is also the longtime head coach of St. Clair College's men's baseball team, said Brown flirted with history during his season with the Green Giants.
"Hunter actually toyed with a no-hitter here in the first year, during a game in July," said Cooper. "He had a no-hitter going into the ninth inning but gave up a hit and ended up with a one-hitter. That’s unheard of in this league."
Hunter Brown is seen pitching with the Wayne State University Warriors. Photo courtesy Wayne State University Athletic Department.
Brown is from St. Clair Shores, Michigan and played his high school ball at Lakeview High School, according to the Detroit News. Brown was a freshman at Detroit's Wayne State University during his season with the Green Giants, and this past season was named a first-team All-American for NCAA Division II.
The Green Giants, owned and operated by St. Clair College, are the only Canadian-based team in the GLSCBL, which is treated like the NCAA, meaning players are still considered amateurs. Players in the GLSCBL must be active with a collegiate team. Some notable former major-league players who have spent time in the league include Nick Swisher, David Dellucci and A.J. Sager, along with former Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge.
The team is in its third season of existence, playing 42 regular-season games over 50 days this summer, with home games at Tecumseh's Lacasse Park.