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Brian Wesley McRae (; born August 27, 1967) is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays from to . McRae is the son of former major league All-Star, Hal McRae, and was also managed by the elder McRae for four seasons with Kansas City. It was only the fourth occurrence of a major league manager managing his own son.
McRae was a switch hitter and threw right-handed. His batting average was 38 points higher from the right side with a slugging average 24 points higher but his on-base percentage was only seven points higher. McRae was a leadoff batter far more often (47%) than any other position in the lineup (second most was 22% batting second). He had a good history of injury avoidance, playing 150 or more Games played in five different seasons. The only seasons he did not play at least 130 games were his rookie season and the strike-shortened 1994 season when he finished second in the National League in games played. McRae never played in the , enduring a few near misses.
McRae did not hit particularly well in the Royals' minor league system and did not reach AA until his fourth season. He did Stolen base well though with 88 thefts in his first three seasons. He and his father, long-time Royal Hal McRae, became the first father-son combination to appear in a major league game when they were in the lineup together in a spring training game in 1987. McRae hit only .201 for the Memphis Chicks in and only .227 in . In , Kansas City's regular center fielder, two-sport all-star Bo Jackson, was having the best season of his baseball career when he went on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. After trying veterans Jim Eisenreich and Willie Wilson in center, the Royals gave McRae a chance in early August. He responded by posting a better average in the majors than in any of his three seasons at AA. When he returned from the disabled list, Jackson was moved to left field and McRae became the everyday center fielder for the rest of that season and for the four subsequent seasons as well.
The Royals named Hal McRae as the team's manager for . With a firm hold on the center field job, Brian McRae posted largely average offensive statistics in Kansas City. On July 14, 1991, he set his career high with six RBI on a two-run home run and a grand slam, all from the Leadoff batter spot, in an 18-4 rout in Detroit. Less than a week later, he started a career-best 22-game hitting streak, which lasted from July 20 to August 13. was his best offensive season with the Royals in several categories but he also logged a career-worst 105 .
The Cubs were paying McRae $3.9 million for but his numbers declined and the Cubs were sinking to the bottom of the division. On April 4, McRae was the batter for the first pitch ever thrown at Turner Field. In August, they traded him with Mel Rojas and Turk Wendell to the New York Mets in exchange for Lance Johnson, Mark Clark and Manny Alexander. McRae's statistics stayed largely below the league average for the rest of the season. The Mets missed the postseason for the ninth consecutive season.
Although his numbers declined in 1997, in , McRae led the Mets in doubles, triples and stolen bases while setting career highs in , RBI, walks and slugging. He also led the team in caught stealing and strikeouts. On September 14, McRae hit a dramatic game-tying two-run home run in the ninth inning off the Houston Astros' ace closer, Billy Wagner. The Mets went on to win that game but narrowly missed the playoffs.
In , McRae was still being paid over $3.5 million but was batting only .221 for the Mets. At the trade deadline, New York traded him with Rigo Beltrán and a minor leaguer to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Darryl Hamilton and Chuck McElroy (the Mets went on to reach the 1999 NLCS). Just nine days later, McRae was re-traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league pitcher Pat Lynch. After hitting just .195 for Toronto, he was benched in favor of Vernon Wells. After the season, McRae was granted Free agent and his career was over.
McRae has devoted time to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. McRae also helped organize the 50 In 50 Charity with two friends. They'll play on 50 golf courses in 50 states in 50 days to raise over $1 million for cancer research.
McRae also finds time to coach NAIA Park University, located in Kansas City. He also coaches young kids at baseball camps in Kansas City.
On August 19, 2016, McRae signed a two-year contract as Head Coach of the WCL League Victoria HarbourCats.
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