Atlanta Braves 2017 position reviews: center field

In stark contrast to the left field position, the Braves have clearly understood center field to be the captaincy of the outfield… and have treated it as such.

Some of the best Atlanta Braves position players have manned center field over the past couple of decades. This has clearly been a position of priority while left field has gone with gap-fillers for the most part.

Over the past 30 seasons. when taking the Braves players at each position having the top 10 plate appearances – i.e., the best ones – we find the following:

Left Field: 87.4 fWAR
Center Field: 120.8 fWAR

That’s a single stat, of course, but the disparity between those numbers should still make the point.

There’s also a lot fewer center fielders than left fielders in those past 30 years… names that stick in recent Braves lore, such as Andruw Jones (himself accounting for 64 fWAR), Ron Gant, Michael Bourn, Marquis Grissom, and Otis Nixon.

Now there’s Ender Inciarte, and he is already well up on this leaderboard himself – in just 2 years. Let’s see how well he stacked up against his peers.

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Offensive Side

Here’s the breakdowns among center fielders by team:

(corrections applied due to positional goof – h/t to Lee Trocinski)

Best fWAR – offensive component only: Angels 55.9, Braves 17th (2.1)
Total fWAR: Angels 8.9, Braves 18th (3.0) (among all players to man the position, not scaled by innings)
Best average: Rockies (.326), Braves 2nd (.304)
Best OBP: Rockies (.397). Braves 7th (.350)
Best Slugging: Rockies (.589), Braves 18th (.409)
Best OPS: Rockies (.985), Braves 15th (.759)
wRC+: Rockies 138, Braves 15th (100)
Walk Rate: Angels (14.2%); Braves 24th (6.8%)
K Rate: Braves first overall: 13.1%. Next closest – Blue jays 14.9%.
Doubles: Dodgers (83), Braves 26th (27)
Triples: Rockies 15, Braves 16th (5).
Homers: Astros 54, Braves 29th (11).
Steals: Angels 65, Braves 17th (22)

Web Gems

Here’s the Center Field defensive numbers and rankings by team – again, because of the manner in which this data is compiled, the rankings matter more than the numbers.

fWAR, defensive component only: Cubs 66.3, Braves 10th (33.6).
DRS (Defensive Runs Saved): Twins +27, Braves 14th with just +2. Admittedly, with the most 5-star catches in the majors (and a gold glove defender), this figure makes little sense.
Plays: Mariners (359). Braves 12th (294).
RZR (Revised Zone Rating – “the proportion of balls hit into a fielder’s zone that he successfully converted into an out”): Twins 94.5%, Braves 15th (.913).
OOZ (Out of Zone plays): Twins 143; Braves 3rd at 132.
- Two observations on this number: (1) Now I really can’t understand the DRS number, and (2) This points out just how important Inciarte is.
Putouts: Twins (489), Braves 6th (426).
Assists: Reds 14, Braves 8 (tie for 12th ranked).
Errors: Indians 1; Braves tied for 15th with 5.

The Skinny

So what do you want in a center fielder?

Some teams are lucky enough to have CF’s that are big threats on both sides of the ball. The Braves once had one of these named Andruw Jones.

Some have defensive-only specialists. All – by definition – have speed.

In Ender Inciarte, the Braves have a defensive specialist who also doubles as a reliable lead-off man. He’s not Kenny Lofton or Deion Sanders, but he’s certainly solid – and fits into the current state of the Braves’ team very well.

Next: The prospering prospects

So upgrade? No – not here… and certainly not now.. unless somebody believes that Ronald Acuna is better in CF than elsewhere. Otherwise, there might be a bit better out there, but the Braves could certainly do a lot worse here – and there are plenty of other matters to attend to.

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