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Video: Lewis Brinson had his first AAA home run last night for the Express, and it was not a cheap one, either:
One of the reasons I was on board with dealing Nick Williams in the Cole Hamels trade was that I thought he was the team's third-best outfield prospect, behind Nomar Mazara and Lewis Brinson. Brinson missed time earlier in the year, but between high-A, AA and AAA this season, he's hitting .327/.401/.603 in 446 plate appearances. Since June 5, when he was activated from the disabled list, he is hitting .339/.410/.639 in 368 plate appearances.
There was a certain tendency to dismiss his performance for a while because he was putting up those numbers in the very hitter-friendly Cal League while playing his home games at the very hitter-friendly home park High Desert has, but in AA and AAA combined, he is hitting .308/.370/.554 in 148 plate appearances. This is a legit breakout year for a true center fielder who has perhaps the highest ceiling of any position player in the system, aside from Joey Gallo.