Vicksburg native Roosevelt Brown has been named the hitting coach of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, a team in the MLB Draft League.

Brown, who played four seasons in Major League Baseball with the Chicago Cubs and then two more in Japan, is the co-owner of The Sandlot training facility in Vicksburg.

The Scrappers will begin their season opener June 4. The 80-game season continues through early September.

The MLB Draft League operates as an amateur collegiate summer league to serve as a showcase for top draft-eligible prospects leading up to the MLB draft in July. After the draft, the second half of the season is for paid professional players who have exhausted their amateur eligibility.