The rapid ascent of Nomar Mazara

I'll preface this by saying, this isn't going to be a long analytical post...its just a short observation of something I find remarkable.

In spring training, 2014, 18 year old Nomar Mazara generated a lot of buzz as a guy who looked ready to break out.  There was a lot of enthusiasm about him, and he was sent to low-A Hickory, where he spent the 2013 season.

Early on, that buzz looked like it was not justified.  Two years ago today, Mazara was struggling in the Sally League -- he had a .226/.289/.329 slash line in 180 plate appearances, and even that was bolstered by a couple of recent two hit games.  After the first game of a double header on May 16, he had a 595 OPS.

Two years later, he's established himself as a starting outfielder on a Texas Rangers team that has playoff aspirations, and is a leading candidate for A.L. Rookie of the Year honors.  Its amazing how far he's come in just a short time.  No one would have imagined that on May 21, 2014.

We talk about development not necessarily being linear, and this is a perfect example...Mazara didn't appear, on the surface, to be making much progress early on, but the reports were good, and folks who watched the back fields thought he was poised to break out.  And when a guy breaks out, he can move in a hurry.

Anyway, its a credit to Mazara, and to the player development folks with the Rangers, and I thought it was worth noting where he was then, and where he is now.