Brown: Aggressive Right From Start By KEVIN IOLE said. "I'd rather be called that than Free Press Sports Writer a lot of other things I can think of. TAMPA, Fla. - Whenever any- Actually, it's a compliment. It one in baseball speaks of Marty means people realize that I come to Brown, the word "aggressive" is play." bound to be among the first several Brown batted .299 with 18 homuttered. ers and 83 RBIs last year for Cedar Brown plays baseball the way Rapids. His offensive style has been Richard Petty drives a race car: compared with former Vermont full speed ahead. He does it nine outfielder Tracy Jones, now an innings a game, 140 games a year. outfielder with Cincinnati. Yet, the hard-nosed 24-year-old "There are a lot of similarities from Rolla, Mo., was almost em- between the two," said Chief Bendbarrassed when discussing how he er, Cincinnati's vice president for came upon his style. player development. "They've both "I've always been this way," he fought their way through the syssaid. "When I was a kid, I really tem. Marty can play both third and liked Pete Rose. He always played first and where he'll end up, I don't hard and I respected that. That's know. the way I want to play." "He has good line drive power A third and first baseman, and he's very aggressive, just like Brown does not have blazing speed. Tracy. Neither one is a sprinter, But he still stole 58 bases last year but they both can steal a base for Class A Cedar Rapids. A stop- because they get good jumps and watch could never be a true indica- slide hard." tor of the talents of Marty Brown. Improving his defense is a high "He's such an aggressive player priority for Brown this season. He and is such a dilligent worker," played third base on a regular basis Vermont Manager Tom Runnells for the first time in his career last said. "Marty is never satisfied. He year and experienced intermittent always wants to work on his weak- problems. nesses. That's why he stole so many He has stayed after practice bases. He doesn't run like Eric several times this spring to work Davis or Vince Coleman, but he with Runnells on improving his studied the pitchers and knows defense. Runnells was a middle when to run. infielder as a player and was al"Plus, he's so aggressive. So ways among the best fielders in the very aggressive." league. He won the Silver Glove as the best defensive second baseman Aggressive. It is a tag which in the Class AAA American AssoMarty Brown will wear throughout ciation in 1985. his baseball career. Players are often labeled, some- "I think he's going to be good for me, because he knows so much times unjustly. Some are deemed about fielding," Brown said. "I utility players, some good-field, nowasn't pleased with what I did in hit players and some who are rethe field this year. I've been workgarded as strictly DH types. ing down here, but I still have Marty Brown will forever be made a few mistakes, but that known as an aggressive player. It is doesn't matter, because (spring not something which bothers him. training) is just for that, to learn "It's good, I don't mind," he and work."