William M. Brown (1866 â December 20, 1897), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American Major League Baseball player who played infielder from -. He played for the New York Giants, New York Giants (PL), Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, and Louisville Colonels.
In 1895, Brown developed a problem with his lungs. He travelled to Hawaii, southern California, and Arizona in an effort to find a climate that would be more beneficial for his health, but his efforts were unsuccessful, and he died as a result of his condition at home in San Francisco in 1897.