SF Giants acquire former top 100 prospect in trade with Astros
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While the MLB trade deadline has passed, teams are still allowed to trade players who are not on their 40-man roster. In one of these minor moves, the SF Giants acquired former top-100 prospect Lewis Brinson from the Houston Astros for cash considerations, as first reported by FanSided MLB Insider Robert Murray. The team immediately added Brinson to their big-league roster.
SF Giants outfielder Lewis Brinson running the bases with the Houston Astros during Spring Training.
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Brinson was drafted out of Coral Springs High School back in 2012, when the Texas Rangers selected him with the 29th pick in the draft. He slowly worked his way up the lower minor-league ranks before a breakout year in 2015 vaulted him into consensus top-100 prospect rankings. Baseball America ranked him the 16th best prospect in MLB heading into the 2016 season.
Brinson would soon highlight multiple trade packages, heading to the Milwaukee Brewers at the deadline in 2016 for catcher Jonathan Lucroy and reliever Jeremy Jeffress. Then, in January of 2018, Brinson was one of the top prospects the Brewers traded to the Miami Marlins for outfielder Christian Yellich.
Brinson has always had a tantalizing set of tools. He has enough speed to be an above-average center fielder with a plus arm and the potential to hit for power. However, his aggressive approach at the plate and struggles against off-speed pitches prevented him from ever putting it together at the big-league level.
From 2017-2021, Brinson received 1,111 MLB plate appearances. He hit just .199/.248/.323 with 313 strikeouts and just 56 walks. While he flashed the ability to drive the ball when he made contact, posting elite top exit velocities north of 112 mph, he was unable to control his strikeouts.
With that said, Brinson is in the middle of his best minor-league season since 2017. He is hitting .299/.356/.574 this year with the Astros Triple-A Round Rock affiliate and has already recorded 21 doubles and 22 home runs in 85 games.
Given how the Giants have targeted former top prospects in more specialized roles, it would not be surprising to see them use Brinson as a platoon bat. Brinson has crushed southpaws this season, hitting .416/.438/.818 with 16 extra-base hits in 81 plate appearances.
During his big-league tenure, Brinson had a far better .230/.294/.396 triple-slash against lefties than his even more meager .186/.227/.291 mark against righties. He also had a much more respectable 26.2% strikeout rate. Given his defensive ability to play all three outfield positions well, Lewis Brinson could be an intriguing fourth outfielder option for the SF Giants very soon.
