Former SF Giants outfielder Lewis Brinson inks one-year deal with Yomiuri Giants

Lewis Brinson was a brief hero for the SF Giants last season, but he's headed to Japan next season after inking a one-year deal with the Yomiuri Giants.

Marc Delucchi | Jan 16, 2023

Former SF Giants outfielder Lewis Brinson inks one-year deal with Yomiuri Giants /

In this story:

San Francisco Giants

One of the most exciting moments of the SF Giants season in 2022 was when late-season acquisition Lewis Brinson caught fire early in September. However, after finishing his season in the minors, Brinson became a free agent this offseason and has decided to head across the Pacific Ocean to Japan. Brinson agreed to a one-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball league. Set to turn 29 in May, Brinson is hoping to become a star in Japan and possibly make some strides that could help him find a permanent role in MLB.

SF Giants outfielder Lewis Brinson hits a home run. (2022) — SF Giants outfielder Lewis Brinson blasts a home run. (2022) / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants acquired Brinson in a trade with the Astros early in September for cash considerations. He started his Giants career with a bang, recording a two-homer game and a lead-off homer in his first week with the team. However, Brinson struggled to maintain that success and racked up 14 strikeouts in 39 plate appearances before he was ultimately designated for assignment.

A former first-round pick and top-100 prospect, Brinson still has an intriguing combination of power and athleticism. He is an excellent defensive center fielder and has crushed upper minors competition this season. In 87 games with the Giants and Astros Triple-A affiliates in 2022, Brinson hit .298/.356/.566 with 22 home runs.

Brinson has appeared in each of the past six big-league seasons, posting a .198/.246/.328 triple-slash in 1,150 plate appearances with 41 doubles, seven triples, and 28 home runs. While he has struggled to make enough contact to be a passable hitter, Brinson remains an above-average defensive center fielder.

Published Jan 16, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).