Miami Marlins: Prospect Lewis Brinson is a breath of fresh air

The Miami Marlins fire-sale continued to unravel on Thursday, but there might be a breath of fresh air for the future.

As Tim Healey of the Sun-Sentinel reported, the the Miami Marlins traded away center fielder Christian Yelich to the Milwaukee Brewers for four prospects.

CEO Derek Jeter is planting the seeds towards a new future. He is building up the organization’s farm system by trading for talented prospects. Jeter traded a flock of stars including Giancarlo Stanton, Dee Gordon, and Marcell Ozuna, the best players on the team. However, the upside of this decision is that it allows the Marlins to be financially stable and under the luxury tax by cutting such massive payrolls

One of these high-level prospects the Miami Marlins acquired is center-fielder Lewis Brinson, the No.18 prospect according to Baseball America. Brinson’s baseball career skyrocketed in South Florida as a standout star at Coral Springs High School. His connection to the Marlins runs deep, always cheering for them as a youngster. Brinson can finally live out this dream of being a Marlin.

More from Marlins News

• Miami Marlins news: Another target gone
• Why didn’t the Miami Marlins sign JDM?
• Miami Marlins rejected Boston‘s trade offer
• Miami Marlins are pursuing Michael Conforto
• Miami Marlins need to spend to win

“I’m excited to get the opportunity to play for the hometown team,” Brinson said in an introductory press conference on Friday.

Out of all the players the Miami Marlins have acquired, this is easily the best catch. He has a strong opportunity to make the Opening Day roster under coach Don Mattingly.

Brinson and the rest of the young prospects will determine the direction this franchise moves in as they are the future cornerstones.

Jeter expects that the young talent will mesh in the next few years and dig the Marlins out of their eight consecutive losing seasons. 2003 was the last time that they were in the postseason dance, which they ended up winning.

What will Lewis Brinson bring to the Miami Marlins in 2018?

Personally playing in the same district as Brinson during my high school baseball tenure, one will learn that Brinson is a freak athlete. He has the ability to impact a baseball game offensively and defensively. He will easily beat out ground-balls, turn doubles into home runs, and steal on elite catchers. Defensively, his lateral quickness and athleticism allowed him to cover large expanses of fields and make unbelievable catches.

In 2017, he made it to the majors with the Brewers, producing unimpressive lines. He had a .106/.236/.277 slash line in 21 games. However, this is valuable experience that he will use to grow in 2018, as he will fine-tune his baseball hitting fundamentals with hitting coach Mike Pagliarulo. He knows that additional reps will allow him to see more pitches and learn certain tendencies of elite pitches. Brinson needs to see more breaking pitches and learn to draw walks.

This talent is nothing to scoff at despite the unimpressive major league numbers. Brinson’s shown that he’s special, producing a slash line of .331/.400/.562 in Triple-A. He can spray the field, with the ability to hit on both sides of the field and hit for power. In 76 games, he hit 13 home runs and 48 RBI’s.

Next: Zac Gallen, likeliest prospect to start 2018

The sky is the limit for the 23-year old prospect who’ll inject a fresh breath of air amidst the rebuild. The South Florida community has received a gem and should all be in open-arms for him.