Holly Springs family backs Norfolk pitcher and relative

A recent baseball game between the Memphis Redbirds and Norfolk Tides at AutoZone Park in Memphis had a bit more Holly Springs interest than usual, not for the home team, but for one of the players on the Tides, the Baltimore Orioles AAA affiliate.

The starting pitcher for Norfolk on Sunday, Sept. 13 was Jauron Watts-Brown, who has family in Holly Springs that have been following his career since he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays organization in the third round of the 2023 MLB Entry Draft.

His appearance that day brought the family out, including grandmother Linda W. Brown, brothers Colain Brown Jr. and JaQuavian Kinkle, with aunt Thia C. Brown. He was not born in Holly Springs, being a native of Visalia, California, but said later he keeps tabs with his Holly Springs area family and was grateful for the support.

They saw him pitch five innings against the Redbirds that hot Sunday afternoon. Watts-Brown was eventually tagged with the loss in the 3-2 Norfolk loss. In his appearance, WattsBrown struck out five and walked two.

Watts-Brown’s career started by playing college baseball at Oklahoma State University, then being drafted and signed by the Blue Jays in July 2023. He worked his way up through the Toronto organization before being acquired by the Baltimore Orioles in a trade for right-handed pitcher Seranthony Domínguez and cash.

He also pitched in college at Long Beach State and has seen time in summer collegiate ball with the Brockton Rox and Falmouth Commodores. Other stops along the way have been Vancouver, Dunedin, and Chesapeake, before his assignment to the Tides.

Recognized for his athletic frame and impressive strikeout ability, the right-hander has developed into one of the top pitching prospects featured within Baltimore’s farm system.

While at Oklahoma State, Watts-Brown led the Big 12 Conference with 124 strikeouts over 82.1 innings, producing a strikeout rate of 33 percent. His fastball has been clocked in the low-to-mid 90s. He also has developed a slider in the 83-to-86 mile-per-hour range and mixes in a curve ball and changeup that fades away from left-handed hitters.

The season ended for Watts-Brown and the Tides on Sunday, Sept. 20 but you can bet if he’s back in Norfolk next season, the Holly Springs contingent of his fan club will greet him the next time he appears at AutoZone Park.