Rangers Rookie Nomar Mazara Had Himself A Damn Fine Inning

When Shin-Soo Choo went down with a calf injury, the Texas Rangers called up 21-year-old rookie Nomar Mazara to take his place in right field. Through his first 19 games, Mazara has hit .333/.386/.486 with three homers, and last night against the Blue Jays he basically won a game all by his dang self.

In the top of the eighth, Mazara came to the plate with score tied 1-1, and swatted a homer over the center-field fence with a batting-practice smooth swing:

The Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half of the inning, and Troy Tulowitzki came to the plate with a great shot at least tying things up. He hit a potential sac fly to right field, which was a mistake, because that’s where Mazara was:

The sample size is still pretty small, but Mazara certainly looks like a young player who is for real. He hit .284/.357/.443 Double-A last season, and cranked things up to .358/.409/.444 in 20 games after a promotion to Triple-A. The only thing standing in his way to a full-time gig is the Rangers’ crowded outfield. Once Choo comes back, the team will have to decide if Mazara is good enough to permanently supplant Delino DeShields Jr. or Ian Desmond. The decision will be pretty easy if he keeps playing like he did last night.

Photo via Getty