SF Giants prospect pulls off incredible steal of home at Double-A

Vaun Brown stole home on the catcher's throw back to the pitcher Wednesday for Double-A Richmond

The SF Giants' Double-A team is called the Richmond Flying Squirrels. And Giants prospect Vaun Brown (Giants Top 16 Prospect) was indeed flying down the third-base line for a surprise steal of home during Richmond's 7-5 win over the Portland Sea Dogs on Wednesday afternoon.

VAUN BROWN JUST STOLE HOME 🤯 pic.twitter.com/fAAR8uadfO

— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) July 26, 2023

Some base stealers get a jump by timing the pitcher's move. Brown,  who was the sixth-best prospect in our preseason prospect rankings, timed the catcher's move to easily swipe home. The Sea Dogs pitcher was so flustered he didn't even catch the throw, though Brown was nearly across the plate by then.

It was the 21st steal in as many attempts in the minors this year for Brown, who has spent most of the season with Richmond after a season delayed until late April by minor knee surgery. It doesn't seem to have hurt his speed on the bases.

Brown is a strange prospect, a super-athlete who strikes out a ton and has huge power. He's dominated single-A pitching, but he's also already 25 years old, and as muscular as an NFL linebacker.

He has hit a wall in July with Richmond, slashing .215/.250/.415. Last week, Brown had five three-strikeout games in a row, part of a month where he's whiffed in 40% of his plate appearances.

Still, it's easy to believe in Brown when you see the combination of baseball instincts and athleticism he displayed on the steal of home - he also had a two-run single and a rare walk. If he could only time pitches as well as he does throws, Vaun Brown could really become something special for the SF Giants.