Big Brian Lane was a Texan to the core, and not a bad third baseman when he pushed his way to Double-A for the Reds when still just 19 years old. He would drive in 89 runs that year (1989) and seem poised to make his own name in baseball. His father, Harlan Lane, was a football star at Baylor and was drafted by both the AFL and NFL.
He was just 20 when got his first AAA at-bats, but failed to hit .200 and wound up back in Chattanooga. Any hope he had of finding his stroke was badly damaged when he missed the entire 1991 season with a knee injury.
He returned to Double-A Chattanooga in 1992, but was stalled at that level for the subsequent two seasons.
Lane retired at age 24 following a decent 1993 season (10-57-.264) to go into business.
