Will Nomar Mazara Take Shin-Soo Choo’s Spot?

Nomar Mazara is arguably the best prospect in the Texas Rangers system and since his MLB debut, has made a case to become the everyday right fielder.

Seven games. Seven games is all it took for Nomar Mazara to make a definitive splash on the Texas Rangers roster and lineup. Mazara, a 20-year old outfielder from the Dominican Republic, joined the big league club with the right calf injury to starter Shin-Soo Choo and has done nothing but impress since his arrival. Mazara joined the club on April 10th of this year after a quick three-game stint in AAA Round Rock. He was the logical option to fill the void left by Choo’s absence because of his experience in right field and seemingly Major League readiness. In his five seasons at the minor league level, Mazara hit .270 with 56 homeruns and showed a mature hitting approach.

Since making his debut, Mazara has appeared in seven games for the Rangers, hitting .444, all as a right fielder hitting second in the order. He’s reached base in all of his appearances, has recorded a hit in six of those seven games and had four multi-hit games. Mazara has already established himself as a catalyst for this Rangers offense and sitting at the top of the order, he gets on base for Prince Fielder and Adrian Beltre behind him. On the other hand, Shin-Soo Choo was hitting .188 through his first five games leading up to injury.

Both of these are rather small sample sizes but they still show potential. Nomar Mazara has the potential to be a consistent top of the lineup hitter for Texas and at only 20, he’s expected to be around for quite awhile. Defensively, Mazara lacks the arm the Choo is renowned for but isn’t a defensive liability. He’s 11 for 11 on fielding chances this year and has already shown that he has the ability to track the ball well. He’s made a few stellar defensive plays so far including a diving catch headed towards the foul line, and a catch on the run moving towards center (see below).

Where this scenario becomes more and more plausible is financially. Shin-Soo Choo is under contract through the year 2020. He is slated to make $20 million per year through 2018 and then $21 million in 2019 and 2020. This is a gross overpayment considering his production in his time with Texas plus he’s 33-years old. Mazara however is only due $507,000 this season and isn’t arbitration eligible until 2019. If Mazara continues this trend of consistent offensive and defensive play, Choo’s most value may come as a trade asset upon his return.

Regardless of the salary or production, Choo is still considereda good defensive right fielder and teams will be willing to pay for his experience and quality. If the Rangers did make a move, they likely would have to take on some of Choo’s salary but dumping the majority of it would prove hugely beneficial in the long-term. Many people, including myself, don’t see Choo as a starting outfielder through 2017 if he doesn’t lose his spot before then. The Rangers have too much young talent to let an aging player maintain his position.

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Now seems as good a time as ever to make the move and sell Choo to the “highest bidder”. In return, Texas would likely get prospects or maybe another starting pitcher, however AJ Griffin has held his own so far this year. There are a few National League teams that could be looking to add outfield depth and the solid bat which is what Choo brings to the table.

Nomar Mazara seems ready for Major League ball in a way that Joey Gallo and Jurickson Profar didn’t when they were initially called up. Despite only being 20, Mazara seems much more mature on the field and has a more toned approach at the plate. We have until mid-May to see how consistently Mazara can produce but this far-fetched idea, shouldn’t seem so far-fetched much longer.

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