For a good while now, the hottest prospect in the Rangers' system hasn't been Joey Gallo, but instead young outfielder Nomar Mazara, who made the jump to Triple-A late last season and had continued success while Gallo went straight from Double-A to the bigs, where he struggled horribly, and then back to Triple-A where he also struggled.
But, according to one list at least, Mazara has been passed on the Rangers' list of top prospects by fellow outfield prospect Lewis Brinson, who leaped Mazara to No. 2 on the most recent list behind Gallo according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
The advancement of Brinson, who went from High-A to Double-A to Triple-A last season, was nice for the Rangers to see as he finished the year with a brief stint at Round Rock where he played the season's final eight games and hit .433 with a double and a homer.
It's been huge because the Rangers now have two outfielders who have shown great hitting ability and good plate discipline at a young age and both could feasibly see Arlington by the end of the 2016 season. That's big given the giant hole in left field for the Rangers that is relying on a walking injury in Josh Hamilton to stay healthy.
It's pretty clear this advancement on the Rangers' top 10 list for Brinson isn't an indictment on Mazara, either, which is even sweeter to see if you're a Rangers fan looking into the future.
