After the 1891 season, the Association folded, Brown was granted to the league and was later obtained by the Louisville Colonels on January 1, 1892. He played in Louisville for three seasons, during which he stole a league-leading 66 bases in , hit 9 home runs in , and scored over 100 runs in each of his three seasons. On January 6, 1895, he was traded to the St. Louis Browns for shortstop Frank Shugart. Brown played in 83 games for St. Louis before being released in August. He signed with the Washington Senators on August 21, 1895. Brown later served as the player-manager of the Senators for the and seasons, winning 64 games and losing 72.