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Willard “Home Run” Brown was a premiere free-swinging power hitter in the 1940s, leading the Kansas City Monarchs to 6 pennants in 10 seasons from 1937-1946. His Monarchs won the World Series in 1942.
“Brown is one who challenged the feats of Josh Gibson. He was like Gibson in some respects. He could hit the ball out of the park, but swung at a lot of bad pitches, whereas Gibson did not.”
Quincy Trouppe
Brown was primarily a center fielder. In 1942 he hit .370 with 5 home runs in 127 at-bats, with an OPS of .973. He hit .412 in the World Series that season, a 4-game sweep for the Monarchs. He swung a 40-ounce bat, and swung at bad pitches. He once hit a home run on a pitch that bounced before it reached home plate. He thrived in big games, and was rumored to read the Readers Digest while playing in center.
baseballhall.org
In 1947 he was signed by the St. Louis Browns of the MLB, and went straight to the big leagues without spending any adjustment time in the minors. He only played in 21 games before he was cut, hitting .179. He did hit one home run, an inside-the-park homer, that was the first American League home run hit by an African-American.
Brown was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. On his plaque it refers to his other nickname, “Ese Hombre”, which he picked up while playing winter ball in Puerto Rico.