What happened to Lewis Brinson?

Lewis Brinson was going to be a superstar. He even looked like he could’ve been finally living up to his vast potential just recently. Instead he joins the list of players struggling after leaving the Miami Marlins. He was designated for assignment by the San Francisco Giants yesterday, and now there’s a real possibility that he may be done as a Major Leaguer. He’s 28 years old and while he probably gets a Minor League deal this off-season, how many more opportunities can he possibly receive now? How did Lewis Brinson become a bust?

Lewis Brinson is a bust and is unlikely to be in the Major Leagues going forward.

It all started so well… A first round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2012 (#29) who was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers shortly after as the headliner of a package of prospects, Lewis Brinson rose up the prospect rankings with his combination of power, speed and contact. Brinson was a phenomenal athlete and it really did seem as if the sky was the limit for him.

When the Miami Marlins traded Christian Yelich to the Milwaukee Brewers, Lewis Brinson was the centerpiece of another prospect haul. It was kind of ignored that in his brief call-up by Milwaukee he batted .106/.236/.277. It was only in 21 games and 47 AB.

Things didn’t get better for Brinson with The Fish… he batted .199/.240/.338 in 109 games and 302 AB in 2018. He followed up that terrible debut by batting .173/.236/.221 in 2019 in 75 games and 226 AB; .226/.268/.368 in 2020 (47 games and 106 AB) and finally .226/.263/.376 in 89 games and 274 AB. It was at this time that we had enough and moved on from him.

Lewis Brinson signed a Minor League deal with the Houston Astros prior to this season, then was traded to the San Francisco Giants mid-season. San Francisco gave him a chance and he batted .167/.211/.472 for them in 16 games and 36 AB. He was then designated for assignment ending his season.

What’s next for him? He’s 28 years old and had enough playing time in the Major Leagues, that you can’t say that he didn’t get enough of it. You can’t say that he’s still young and may still figure it out either. Lewis Brinson never learned how to hit in the Majors and his careee might now be over.