Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hoping new approach helps Brinson at plate
Outfielder who came in Yelich trade has been subpar so far
MIAMI — Awaiting a 1-0 pitch from Zack Wheeler, Lewis Brinson put his revamped hitting approach into action.
Facing the Mets’ left-hander, Brinson took a 96 mph fastball and punched it through the right side of the infield for his first major league hit in over three months. Two at-bats later, the Marlins outfielder lined another single to right. The following day, he added two more opposite-field singles to his total.
Considering just one of his previous 15 hits this season went the other way, the results were fairly noticeable. For the recently promoted Brinson, it’s all part of the plan — one the Marlins are hoping will allow the struggling outfielder to finally tap into his massive potential.
“It’s completing my swing and making my swing more wellrounded,” Brinson said. “Trying to go the other way and going line to line.
“It’s something that I’ve taken to heart and going to continue taking to heart. It can definitely change my game a lot.”
The centerpiece of the Christian Yelich trade, Brinson’s struggles have been well-documented. In his rookie campaign, the former Coral Springs High School star hit .199/.240/.338 in 109 games. His rough year was only amplified by Yelich’s dominance, who went on to win National League MVP.
Despite a promising spring training, it was more of the same for Brinson in the regular season, hitting .197/.247/.263 with no home runs and 28 strikeouts before being demoted to Triple-A on April 30. Re-united with hitting coach Justin Mashore, who worked with Brinson while the two were in the Texas Rangers’ organization, the 25-year-old outfielder was tasked with refining his approach and mechanics before coming back to South Florida.
While the Marlins haven’t said as much publicly, there’s a sense opportunities could be running out if Brinson doesn’t turn things around. Miami spent its first two picks in June’s MLB Draft on college outfielders — JJ Bleday and Kameron Misner — and then traded for Top 50 prospect Jesus Sanchez two weeks ago. In addition, highly touted outfielder Monte Harrison, also a Top 100 prospect, will likely be in the majors to start 2020. With Miami accumulating significant minor league outfield depth, competition will quickly begin to accelerate in the majors.
“I had to go down there and I knew what I needed to do,” Brinson said. “It definitely sucked at first, but you have to put your pride aside and know when you have to work on things. I had some things to work, so I went down there and did it and here I am.”
After hitting .270/.361/.510 with 16 home runs and 15 doubles in 81 Triple-A games, Brinson re-joined the Marlins on Monday. After going 0 for 7 in his first two games, the 25-year-old outfielder has been 4 for 8 since.
“It’s definitely something that’s important for [Brinson] to be able to do,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “Lewis has looked good coming back and it’s good to get him back. He’s going to get a lot of at-bats.
“[Hitting to] right field is something that tells you he’s being able to control the outer half of the plate a little bit more. It’s something that if you’re going to be a productive hitter, you’ve got to be able to use the whole field. I think Lewis has shown us being able to go to right field is going to be important for him.”
As a rookie, just 10 of Brinson’s 76 hits went opposite field, so while his past two games make up an extremely limited sample size, he’s shown a clear change in his approach. During his time in New Orleans, Brinson said he and Mashore also worked on having a more confident attitude in the batter’s box.
“[We worked on] having that dog mentality in the box that you’re better than the guy on the mound,” Brinson said. “You have to have that mentality. I know the best pitchers in the game do. As hitters, we have to have that mentality that ‘No one can get me out; I’m the best in the box.’
“That’s the mentality I worked on and just going down there and finding myself again, finding my swing again and refining it. Getting back up here was the ultimate goal.”
With an immense skill set, including outstanding raw power and speed, Brinson has tools most prospects would only dream of. After watching Brinson in his return, Marlins third baseman/right fielder Brian Anderson, who was a rookie last year as well, thinks the center fielder is on the right track.
“[Brinson’s] always had the swing, the power, the talent and I think we’ve all seen flashes of it,” Anderson said. “I think what he’s doing right now — working the ball the other way, really seeing the ball deep and being able to — he’s got great hands, extremely fast — I think he’s going to get better pitches to hit.
“He’s letting those pitches get deep and he’s working the ball the right way and I think we’re going to start seeing when [pitchers] make mistakes, he’s going to start catching them out in front and hitting them really far.”