Forget the hot start at the plate and the .462 (6-for-13) start with at least a hit in each of his first three big-league games. Forget the moonshot home run and the smooth look in the box with veteran-like plate coverage. Forget all of it.
On Tuesday night, we were able to see what Nomar Mazara could do in the field, and he flashed some serious leather.
Mazara made two great catches in right field, one diving toward the foul line and another up against the wall in right-center as he called off a charging Delino DeShields to make the play and avoid a collision.
"What we have seen so far has been better than what had been conveyed to us," Rangers manager Jeff Banister told MLB.com. "We saw solid to average defense in Spring Training, and so far it has been above average in the outfield. We have seen the ability to read the ball off the bat, take terrific angles and run balls down. Where you make a difference in the outfield is with your footwork and his footwork has been exceptional."
The catch in right-center would've easily resulted in a triple for former Ranger speedster Leonys Martin, and possibly more, but Mazara made the spectacular grab.
"I was just running hard," Mazara told reporters. "I took my eye off the ball for a second to see where the ball was, and then I was able to pick up the wall again. I had good concentration so I was able to catch it."
Again, folks. This guy is 20 years old and the youngest player in the bigs. He sure doesn't seem like it so far.
