GGOATRANK
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Baseball · Outfielder · United States

Willard Brown

1935–1958 · Negro Leagues home run king and the first Black player to homer in the American League.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
88.5
Cultural & brand footprint 50/100 · total legacy 77.0
Negro League home run titles
7
Negro World Series titles
2
Negro League All-Star selections
6
Career batting average
0.4
Seasons played
20

Category profile

Dominance
86
Peak
94
Longevity
88
Honours
84
Statistics
92

Career timeline · Home runs per season

SeasonHome runs per seasonShare of career
19370.371
19380.356
19390.336
19400.344
19410.336
19420.355
19430.36
19440.34
19450.35
19460.371
19470.336
19480.32
19490.31
19500.3

Data sources

  • MLB.com
  • Baseball Reference
  • National Baseball Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Willard Brown ranks #66 in Baseball

Willard Brown ranks 66th among Baseball athletes on GOAT Rank and 1194th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 88.5 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 86, Peak 94, Longevity 88, Honours 84, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full Baseball reference universe of 262 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1935–1958 with 14 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1937, which sets the Peak component at 94. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 94 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes negro league home run titles 7, negro world series titles 2, negro league all-star selections 6, career batting average 0.352.

Immediately ahead sits Billy Hamilton on 88.5, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Ed Delahanty on 88.5. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Willard Brown GOAT Score explained

Dominance86/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Brown stood above the field while competing. Scored 86/100 against the full Baseball cohort.
Peak94/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1937. Scored 94/100.
Longevity88/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 23 years of competition and 14 recorded seasons. Scored 88/100.
Honours84/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 84/100.
Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.

Willard Brown — frequently asked

Is Willard Brown the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Willard Brown ranks 66th in Baseball with a GOAT Score of 88.5, behind Babe Ruth on 94.6.
What is Willard Brown's GOAT Score?
88.5 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 86 (25%), Peak 94 (20%), Longevity 88 (20%), Honours 84 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Willard Brown rank all time?
1194th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 66th within Baseball.
Willard Brown vs Billy Hamilton: who ranks higher?
Willard Brown, on 88.5 against Billy Hamilton's 88.5 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with Ruth