Brinson, Mazara Ranked #2 and #3 OF Prospects

Yesterday evening, I posted up a poll in which I asked which of the Rangers prospects would see playing time at the Major League level in 2016. This afternoon, both Lewis Brinson and Nomar Mazara surfaced again, this time over at MLB Pipeline.

Jonathan Mayo lists his top 10 outfield prospects. Brinson and Mazara show up on the list at numbers 2 and 3, respectively. Topping the list is Byron Buxton of the Twins, who figures to get a significant look in 2016 for Minnesota's big club.

Of Brinson, Mayo says:

Brinson has always had a tremendous power-speed combination, but what has allowed him to take a huge step forward has been a vast improvement in his approach at the plate. As he has cut down on his strikeouts and upped his walk rate, he's tapped into his hitting and power potential consistently, giving him true 30-30 potential.

The 30-30 comment is what will likely intrigue most Rangers fans, as Nelson Cruz was probably the last semi-comparable player that Texas had in that mold. Cruz was nowhere near the outfielder that Brinson figures to be -- Brinson profiles more as a center fielder rather than a corner outfielder -- so it's no wonder that he has begun to show up at the top of many of these lists.

Of Mazara, Mayo says:

Like Brinson, Mazara's improved approach at the plate has helped him take the next step as a prospect. He has the tools teams look for from the prototypical right fielder: a power arm and a power bat. Rangers fans should be excited about having Brinson and Mazara ready to make up two-thirds of the big league outfield in the near future.

Since I've mentioned Nelson Cruz, Mazara would figure to fit even more nicely into that mold. It remains to be seen how often Josh Hamilton will be able to play in 2016, so I'm of the mindset that it wouldn't be too terribly surprising if Mazara gets a look in left field at some point, especially if he continues to shine at Triple-A Round Rock, where he logged a wRC+ of 132 with a .358/.409/.444 line in 88 plate appearances after a late-season promotion.

Either way, it's always exciting when your team has players show up on any kind of top 10 list, and these two players have been generating a lot of conversation recently, so it should be fun to see exactly how well they pan out for Texas.