To the Atlanta Braves, Mallex Smith was expendable
By Josh Brown
When the Atlanta Braves decided to commit to Gold Glove center fielder Ender Inciarte for five years, the writing was on the wall for Mallex Smith. Based on Mallex’s skill set and based on who’s coming up through the system, Mallex became more valuable as a trade piece.
There was a lot of speculation about Mallex being a fourth outfielder and starting his season in Triple-A Gwinnett. While this would not have been a terrible thing for the Braves, it made more sense to deal him to a place where Mallex might get a better opportunity.
But is a promising center fielder like Mallex Smith going to get an everyday center field opportunity in Tampa? Of course not. Tampa has the only other center fielder in baseball who might be as good as Ender Inciarte. Kevin Kiermaier is an elite defender and the reigning AL Gold Glove winner in center field and he’s not going anywhere.
So for now, its difficult to know how the Tampa organization really views Mallex Smith. But what IS known is Tampa’s farm depth and outfield depth is not as rich as Atlanta’s. Is Mallex Smith the promising starting center fielder that we though he was? Or is he a Jerrod Dyson type player who can be used off the bench when you’re in need of some speed? Or does Tampa plan on flipping Mallex to another team in need of center field help like the Tigers, for example?
Regardless of Mallex’s future (and based on his age and talent, the future is still bright for him) Mallex just didn’t fit in Atlanta. But Ender Inciarte wasn’t Mallex’s only blockade from having a solid future with the Atlanta Braves.
The Braves have two prospects, in particular, that made the Braves decision to move Mallex an easy one. Meet Ronald Acuna and Ray-Patrick Didder.
Now, both players are certainly a ways away from Atlanta. And the subtraction of Mallex Smith does leave an immediate hole in the “who’s going to man center field if something happens to Ender?” department. But when you’ve got Acuna and Didder’s skill set coming up through the system quickly, you can use a guy like Mallex for a trade.
You Know The Name…Well You Should By Now
Acuna is probably the most popular out of the duo. He’s got a higher ceiling, he’s younger, and he just destroyed the Australian league. He’s also ranked No. 18 in the Braves’ top prospects list, and in a day and age when fans and writers hold on to prospect rankings as the Gospel, Didder gets lost in the conversation. But please keep in mind, Jim Edmonds was never a ranked prospect and guys like Mariano Rivera, Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Robinson Cano, Josh Donaldson, Daniel Murphy, and James Shields never cracked the top-100 Baseball America rankings.
With pitching prospects, its a bit more difficult to predict the future. With position players its still not easy (when it comes to prospects anything can happen) but its easier to get an idea of what a player could become, and based on Acuna’s talent and numbers, there’s little reason to believe that he will not be really good at the major league level. And he’s a center fielder. The main position Mallex Smith played. Plus, he already displays better defense at age 19.
Part of the reason the Braves sent Acuna to destroy the Australian league was because he didn’t get an opportunity to have a full season in Rome in 2016. Due to an injury, Acuna just saw 42 games in Rome, but threw up a promising .312/.392/.429 slash line. The Braves are funny about having almost all of their talent spend an entire year in Rome no matter what the situation, but Acuna could start his 2017 in high-A. Regardless, don’t look for Acuna to be in high-A very long.
Who Else You Got?!?
Ray-Patrick Didder is also a speedy contact-hitting outfielder. He came to the Braves as a shortstop and was quickly moved to the outfield. He began his 2016 season in right field, but once Acuna got injured, he moved over to center where he threw out 19 base runners. While Acuna gets most of the defensive accolades, Didder might actually be the best defensive outfielder in the Braves farm system.
Didder is special because he’s a smaller, fleet-footed, on base, contact guy with a lethal cannon. The guy gets on base, he scores, he hits, and the throws you out from a mile away. He finished his season slashing .274/.387/.381 with 9 triples, 6 home runs, and 37 stolen bases, plus .292/.452/.375, 6 runs scored, and 3 stolen bases during Rome’s historic playoff run.
Didder has been overlooked by writers and fans because of his age. In 2016, the Rome Braves had 9 teenagers on their squad while Didder was an ancient 21-years-old. He’s now 22, and based on his age and talent, he could very well start the season in double-A.
Next: Why Jeff's glad the Bravos traded Mallex
When you have fast, contact hitting, elite defenders like Ronald Acuna and Ray-Patrick Didder coming up through your system, its easy to give Mallex Smith a better opportunity somewhere else. With so much outfield talent in the Braves system, including highly underrated Dustin Peterson, the Atlanta Braves have every reason to be optimistic about the future. And if Acuna and Didder become a part of that future, alongside Ender Inciarte, Braves fans won’t miss Mallex Smith.