Lewis Brinson, Outfielder, Texas Rangers

Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 170 lbs. Bats: Left Throws: Right

2015 Minor League Stats (A, AA & AAA): 456 PA, .332/.403/.601, 20 HR, 69 RBIs, 74 Runs, 18 SB

At age 21 and already at the Triple-A level, Lewis Brinson was finally invited to his first big league camp. This was bound to happen this year even if he hadn’t put up eye-popping numbers at three minor league levels in 2015. Not only did he show a wealth of promise with his bat, his rise through the ranks is something rarely seen. While it wasn’t a complete surprise, it was a welcome development for the Rangers organization.

Brinson is currently the 16th-ranked prospect on Baseball America’s Top 100 List for 2016; a coveted list where in 2015, he was not anywhere to be found. To say that he made a profound jump would be an understatement. That same publication has Brinson tool grades as follows: 50 Hit, 60 Power, 60 Speed, 60 Fielding, and 60 Arm. He is very well rounded and has exactly the type of power/speed combo that fantasy owners covet.

To take a deeper look a Brinson and what he will mean for your fantasy squad down the line, let’s start with the negatives. Throughout his minor league career, Brinson has been dealt a very strong hand in the BABIP department. He has yet to make a stop where that number was below .323. Clearly, that is unsustainable at the major league level and it is fueling his high batting average in the minors.

The high BABIP really hides what troubles Brinson the most and that is strikeouts. At Single-A in 2012, Brinson struck out a whopping 191 times in 503 plate appearances. That is an alarming number, but the good news is that he has made positive strides over the last few years. His strikeout rate fell over three stops in the minor leagues last season with his best mark of 16.2 percent coming in Triple-A. This appears to be an outlier given his history, but it could be the sign of a positive adjustment. Brinson is all but guaranteed to begin the season at Triple-A Round Rock.

Now to the positive parts of Brinson’s game. For a guy with such a slender, gangly frame, his power has developed since entering the Rangers’ minor league system as a 19-year-old. He posted an ISO of .291 in High-A last season and saw that number dip to .255 at Double-A. Nevertheless, those are both excellent numbers for a 21-year-old. Once his body fills out and he reaches his peak, Brinson could be a perennial 25-30 home run guy.

On top of his power, Brinson possesses the type of speed that could make him a 20/20 player in his prime. His stolen base numbers have been all over the board throughout his minor league career, but the sample size is small. His speed has been graded above average in multiple scouting reports and it should translate well when he reaches the major leagues.

Brinson will not make the Rangers’ 25-man roster out of spring training, but he will definitely be able to suck up valuable experience hanging around veterans like Adrian Beltre, Shin-Soo Choo, and Prince Fielder. With his tall, lanky, athletic frame, it is only a matter of time before we see Brinson in Texas with the big league club. Currently, Delino DeShields is manning center field, but Brinson is a much better fit at the position and will likely push DeShields to one of the corners, setting up one of the more athletic outfields in all of baseball by 2018.

While Brinson is highly unlikely to see much time in the majors during the 2016 season, he is a piece of prime real estate in dynasty leagues. At his peak, Brinson will likely be comparable to Mike Cameron—lots of homers, steals, strikeouts, and a low batting average. There are obviously some glaring weaknesses, but the power-speed combo plays well in any type of league. Expect Brinson to receive a late-season call-up with a chance to win a job in the Rangers outfield next spring.