Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
As struggles continue, fixing Brinson’s swing has been a ‘battle’ for franchise
MIAMI — As Lewis Brinson nears the end of his second major league season, the Miami Marlins outfielder is still battling the same offensive issues that plagued him during his rough rookie season.
Acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in the Christian Yelich trade, the former first-round pick has been unable to tap into the massive potential that made him the centerpiece of the deal for the reigning National League MVP.
After hitting .199/.240/.338 (56 wRC+) with 11 home runs in 406 plate appearances last season, Brinson’s numbers have dipped in his sophomore campaign. In 199 plate appearances entering Monday, the former Coral Springs High School star is batting .181/.239/.242 (31 wRC+) with a -0.9 WAR.
Making matters worse, his power has disappeared. So far, the outfielder yet to hit a homer this season.
Asked about the slugging decline, Marlins manager Don Mattingly attributed it swing mechanics, specifically backside collapse, meaning he’s dipping his back shoulder.
“Backside collapse just doesn’t allow you to hit many pitches, honestly, so [pitchers] really have to make a mistake and they don’t make many here,” Mattingly said.
“When the backside is gone — when you hit it, it’s not going to come off the bat the way it really should. You end
up hitting the ball way too deep; not getting the barrel there and [when] you get it there, you’re totally extended and your body’s already gone.
“It’s not an easy thing to do, but it’s simple to see, but trying to make that correction has been a battle.”
The Marlins have tried different strategies with Brinson over the past two seasons, but none have taken hold yet. As a rookie, Miami kept him in the majors all season to try to work through the struggles. Following a rough start this season, the Marlins demoted him to Triple-A to focus on revamping his swing.
After a three-month stint in New Orleans, Brinson returned in August, but hasn’t seen a breakthrough at the plate. Prior to the demotion, he was hitting .197/.247/.263 with five doubles, two walks and 28 strikeouts in 82 plate appearances. Since returning on Aug. 5, he’s batting .170/.233/.226 with four doubles, one triple, eight walks, 29 strikeouts in 117 PA.
While Brinson has outstanding raw power, he hasn’t been able to impact the baseball often this season. With an exit velocity
of 86.4 mph, the outfielder ranks in the bottom 20% of the league for players with at least 100 balls in play. Brinson’s exit velocity is down 3 mph from last season.
Instead of jumping on pitches in front of the plate, Mattingly said Brinson’s waiting too long and catching them late, leading to weaker contact and more foul balls. On 2-0 counts — when a hitter is more likely to see a favorable pitch — Brinson is 0 for 5 when putting the ball in play.
Brinson’s struggles have only been magnified with the immense success of Yelich. While the Marlins also acquired Isan Diaz, Jordan Yamamoto and Monte Harrison in the trade, his difficulties have been well-chronicled since he made his MLB debut a full year before Diaz and Yamamoto. Harrison, who finished in Triple-A, will likely see time in Miami’s outfield next season.
After winning MVP last season, Yelich has been even better this year. The star outfielder is hitting .330/.429/.674 (173 wRC+), 44 home runs, 29 doubles and NL-leading 7.6 WAR.
With 20 games left in the season, the Marlins will continue to give Brinson plenty of at-bats as he tries to find a breakthrough. While he’s played the majority of his career at center, Miami is trying him out in right as well.
“You’d like to see some sort of consistency with his swing [down the stretch],” Mattingly said. “Just to watch him play center; we’ll play him in right some.
“The offensive side of that is the profile we’ll have to figure out. You can’t play the outfield with a team that doesn’t score runs in a position that profiles [where] you have to have offense and not hit. So we have to try and find that consistency at the plate.”