(April 6, 2023, New York) – John Brownell, a right-handed starting pitcher and the league’s Pitcher of the Year in 2015, was named to the Atlantic League Silver Anniversary team on Thursday. He is the 12th of 25 outstanding players to be named to the honorary squad.
While Brownell spent the majority of his career with the Long Island Ducks, he did pitch for the High Point Rockers during the 2019 season, helping High Point reach the playoffs in their inaugural Atlantic League season.
Brownell first joined the Atlantic League with the Long Island Ducks in 2012, helping the franchise to its second league championship. He then won nine games in 2013, his first full season in the Atlantic League, before posting four consecutive double-digit win totals from 2013-17. In 2015, Brownell led the ALPB in wins, complete games, shutouts and strikeouts and was named the league’s Pitcher of the Year.
The righty added three more wins during the 2013 Atlantic League playoffs, as the Ducks beat Somerset in five games to win the League Championship Series, completing back-to-back title runs. Brownell was the winning pitcher in Game 1 and Game 5 of the series. He held Somerset to five hits and four runs over eight-plus innings in Game 5 and was named the Championship Series MVP. Brownell’s five career postseason wins are tied for the most in league history.
Brownell was a pitcher who enjoyed finishing what he started. He led the ALPB in complete games for four consecutive years from 2013 through 2016 and is the league’s all-time leader with 24. His 67 career wins are the third-most in league history while his 770 strikeouts rank second. Brownell is third in the record book with 1,025.2 career innings pitched while co-holding the career shutout record with five.
“I give a lot of the credit to my teammates and coaches,” said Brownell. “I learned a lot from them on how to pitch and how to improve my craft. The Atlantic League is such a great league, and so many great players have come through there. I am very thankful and grateful for this honor.”
Brownell earned Postseason All-Star status in 2015 and was elected to the 2017 All-Star Game. He ended his ALPB career in 2019 with the High Point Rockers, making three regular season starts and one postseason start. Brownell finished his Atlantic League career with a 67-51 record and 3.68 ERA.
Prior to his time in the Atlantic League, Brownell spent one year in the Philadelphia Phillies organization after being drafted out of the University of Oklahoma. He then pitched five seasons in the Frontier and Northern Leagues and the American Association.
Brownell lives in Omaha, Neb. with his wife, Christina, and two sons, Manny and Elijah.
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2023 and has selected elite former players to comprise the official ALPB Silver Anniversary team. A total of 25 players have been selected to commemorate the league’s first quarter century. The list of honorees is comprised of former Players of the Year, Pitchers of the Year, League Championship MVPs, All-Stars and record holders, the most talented players to ever grace an Atlantic League ballpark.
Over the course of the next few weeks, the 25th Anniversary Team will be revealed one at a time on the ALPB website and social media channels as well as the same platforms of each Atlantic League club. Please visit each week to see which fan favorite players made the all-time greats roster.
Atlantic League Silver Anniversary Team Members
LHP Mike Guilfoyle
RHP Tim Cain
OF Glenn Murray
3B Jeff Nettles
RHP Lincoln Mikkelsen
UTIL/DH Ray Navarrete
RHP Jim Ed Warden
1B Josh Pressley
C Francisco Morales
C Luis Rodriguez
SS Victor Rodriguez
RHP John Brownell
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary season in 2023, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. ALPB has sent over 1,200 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 45 million fans to its family-friendly ballparks throughout its 25-year history. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.
