The Miami Marlins had high hopes for Lewis Brinson as part of their rebuild. If he is ever going to become a productive major league player, it will involve a detour to Japan.
According to Hochi News, Brinson has signed with the Yomiuri Giants for the 2023 season. He will be competing for the Giants’ starting center field spot once their training camp begins.
Lewis Brinson looking to put Miami Marlins disaster behind him
Brinson had once been one of the top prospects in the game. He was a consensus top 100 prospect from 2016 through 2018, someone who had been viewed as a five tool prospect during his time in the minors. The Marlins targeted him as one of the key pieces in the deal that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee in the hopes that he would be a part of their next championship caliber core.
That trade turned out to be a disaster for the Marlins as none of those prospects panned out. Brinson, in particular, was atrocious as he posted a .203/.248/.325 batting line with 23 homers and 39 doubles in his 1056 plate appearances in Miami. His lack of plate discipline was a major part of his struggles as Brinson drew just 49 walks while striking out 296 times.
It is possible that he can turn his career around. Brinson will turn 29 years old during the season and could still find success in the majors. If he can improve his plate discipline and get better at hitting breaking pitches in Japan, he could get another look at the major league level. But he is going to need to show drastic improvement with the Giants before that happens.
Lewis Brinson was supposed to be a key part of the Miami Marlins’ future core. Instead, he is heading to Japan in hopes of resurrecting his career.