In The Spotlight: Lewis Brinson

Entering the Mother's Day Weekend series with the Sacramento River Cats, Sky Sox outfielder Lewis Brinson has been a consistent presence atop the Colorado Springs lineup. 

The Milwaukee Brewers' top prospect in their recently re-loaded farm system, Brinson has recorded at least one hit in 18 of his first 20 games to start 2017, including a 10-game streak to start April, resulting in a .329 average through May 7.
A key part of helping the Sky Sox achieve the best start to a season in franchise history, Brinson has had a successful minor league career from a statistical standpoint, but the 6'3" leadoff batter is cognizant of who to thank for all his success thus far.
That would be his mother, Susie.
"I wouldn't be here without her," said Brinson. "My dad passed away when I was 11 from lung cancer, so she's been mom/dad/brother/sister/everything for me growing up in life and in baseball, teaching me how be a man, how to treat women, how to treat my friends, and how to treat adults.
"I had to be the man of the house. I couldn't be a little kid with a single mom at home-I would've driven her nuts. It was just me and her for a long time. My uncle moved in with us a year after my dad passed and he helped out with a lot, but I had to grow up very fast. She's been everything. She's the reason I'm here and she'll be the first one I call when I get that call to the big leagues."
That growth has helped propel Brinson to the No. 1 prospect slot for Milwaukee, according to both MLB.com and Baseball America. Getting to this point in his career began very early for the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native.
"I started playing baseball at 4 years old and I've been playing all year since I was 10 years old," said Brinson. "At a young age, my mom would tell me that I would watch basketball and football normally, but whenever she'd turn on baseball, I'd go crazy in my high chair. She signed me up for little league and the rest is history."
By the time Brinson was a sophomore in high school, he started growing into his frame and the production soon followed. As a high schooler, both Division 1 colleges and MLB scouts began looking at the Coral Springs (FL) High School star. By the time senior year came around, Brinson had a choice on his hands: attend the University of Florida in Gainesville or forego college and enter the 2012 draft.
"My advisor advised me not to go just to fulfill your dreams but because it's a great opportunity," said Brinson. "You don't want to take the shortcut route just to make your dreams come true. I was committed to the University of Florida my junior year, but it all really came down to money, who picked me and where I was picked."
The who ended up being the Texas Rangers. The where ended up being the 29^th overall pick in the first round.
"It was nuts," said Brinson. "I had family and a bunch of high school friends there in the room watching (the draft). My agent called me and told me that the Rangers would pick me with the 29^th pick. I had told everybody in the room that I was going to get selected at No. 29., (so) before Bud Selig could even get Lewis out, everybody went nuts. It was a pretty exhilarating experience."
Going through the Texas system, Brinson found himself rising further and further up the rankings, starting at No. 12 in 2012 before reaching the No. 2 spot after the 2015 season. Then, on August 1, 2016, Brinson found himself a part of a blockbuster trade between the Rangers and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Texas received catcher Jonathan Lucroy and relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress in exchange for RHP Luis Ortiz, Sky Sox outfielder Ryan Cordell (then a player to be named later) and Brinson. Soon after arriving at Triple-A Colorado Springs, Brinson was named the No. 1 prospect in Milwaukee's system and rose to be the No. 15 overall prospect in MLB.com's Top-100 list.
The accolade may sound great in conversation, but Brinson continues to remain focused on the big picture and the journey ahead.
"To be considered that in magazines is pretty cool, but my initial reaction was almost 'finally,'" said Brinson. "In the Rangers organization, I was always No. 2 or No. 4-not overlooked, but there were people ahead of me. As a kid, you want to be considered the best and you want to be talked about. We all do. I love the recognition and people recognizing that my hard work is paying off and that I have a lot of talent on the field.
"I try not to pay attention to what people say about me or my game. If someone wants to bash me after a bad game, then it's their mind (and) their mouth. The rankings are cool, but it doesn't mean anything to me until I make it to the big leagues."
Not paying attention to what both mainstream media outlets and social media platforms are saying can be easier said than done, but Brinson keeps it simple and is enjoying the moment in the spotlight.
"To be honest, I think about home and how nice it is to see everybody at home when I get back for the offseason," said Brinson. "I try not to put (excessive) expectations on myself or hype myself up. I have expectations to play hard and do well, but whatever everybody has expectation-wise for me is their expectations. All I can control is what I expect myself to do and what I do on the field.
"If you don't worry about the things you can't control, then everything becomes a lot easier on and off the field, not just in baseball but in life. If you're worried about what people think of you when you walk into a restaurant or a grocery store, you're going to be self-conscious and a hot mess. What matters to me is what my mom thinks of me, what I think of myself and what the Big Man Upstairs thinks of me."