Miami Marlins make needed move with Lewis Brinson

On Tuesday, the Miami Marlins made a much needed move, optioning Lewis Brinson to AAA.

Lewis Brinson was considered to be one of the centerpieces in the Miami Marlins trade of Christian Yelich. He was a consensus top 30 prospect from 2016 through 2018, with an intriguing blend of power and speed that was expected to vault Brinson to stardom. The Marlins expected Brinson to be one of the future faces of the franchise, a player they would be able to build a contender around.

However, that ascent to stardom has not happened. Brinson’s struggles have gotten to the point where he is no longer a viable major league option, with the Marlins sending him down to AAA.

Some growing pains were to be expected with Brinson. He was thrust into the Marlins centerfield role in 2018, and may not have been ready for the majors. He produced a disappointing .199/.240/.338 batting line, hitting 11 homers, but only swiping two bases in three attempts. In his 406 plate appearances, Brinson struck out 120 times while drawing only 17 walks. It was a rough season, but, in theory, one he could learn from.

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Brinson appeared to have taken a step forward in Spring Training. Although those stats do not count for anything, he produced a .278/.304/.593 batting line in his 54 at bats, hitting five homers. Brinson did have a few warning signs, as he struck out 18 times and only drew one walk, but those power numbers were still impressive.

Unfortunately, that success has not translated to the regular season. Prior to his demotion, Brinson had produced an anemic .197/.247/.263 batting line in 82 plate appearances. That power had seemingly disappeared overnight, as he only had five doubles. Likewise, he continued his swing and miss struggles, with only two walks and 28 strikeouts.

Brinson still has time to rewrite the narrative about his major league performance. He does not turn 25 years old until May 8, and is still relatively young for the majors. However, Brinson may not have much more to prove at the AAA level, as he already has a .342/.398/.560 batting line with 18 homers and 18 steals across 497 plate appearances.

Even though time is still on his side, that does not change the fact that Brinson is getting close to bust territory. If he continues to annihilate pitching at AAA, but falls on his face at the major league level, he could be saddled with that Quad-A designation. And, he could quickly earn the wrath of Marlins fans, the once hoped for Face of the Franchise turning into yet another disappointment.

The Miami Marlins needed to send Lewis Brinson to AAA. And yet, this move is just another disappointment in a series of misses.