The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Smith battles for spot
Young outfielder down in Mexico to work on being ‘complete hitter.’
When Mallex Smith was asked last week how things were going in the Mexican Winter League, the good-natured Braves outfielder said the league started play the week before, but he hadn’t shown up yet. He was referring to his 1-for-20 batting line through five games, with one triple, one walk and six strikeouts.
In his next two games he went 3 for 8 with a triple and one strikeout. Things were looking up, and Smith’s usual energy and upbeat attitude were evident in a reply to a question about what he hoped to get out of the six weeks he’s scheduled to spend in Mexico, where he’s down to play until just before Thanksgiving.
“It’s a well-needed experience,” replied Smith, who was asked by the Braves to play in Mexico to get at-bats after missing nearly three months of his rookie season with a broken thumb. The league he’s in traditionally features a lot of breaking-ball pitchers, some of them journeymen who’ve had the proverbial cup of coffee (or more) in the major leagues.
“I feel like being in Mexico, seeing these off-speed pitches in this quantity will help me balance out my game and become a complete hitter,” Smith said, “instead of (being so) fastball dominant.”
The 23-year-old Floridian hit .238 with a .316 OBP and .681 OPS in 72 games as a rookie and had 14 extra-base hits (four triples, three home runs) and 16 stolen bases in 215 plate appearances. While that stat line as a whole was not too impressive, it should be noted Smith had begun to thrive before he sustained a broken thumb June 19 when hit by a fastball from Mets lefty Antonio Bastardo.
“I feel like I did OK,” he said of his rookie season. “I’m probably my worst critic, so with that I’ll say I had expectations of myself anyway, it doesn’t matter where I’m at. But I know when I first got up here I had my welcoming bruises. Everybody does at some point. And I bounced back. That in itself was pretty good. As long as I’m still progressing, I feel like I’m doing pretty well. But overall, my performance — I feel like I haven’t shown everything.”
In his last 42 games before the injury, he hit .272 with a .778 OPS, and he led the Braves with 14 stolen bases and a .349 average with runners in scoring position before going on the disabled list.
Things changed significantly with the Braves and their outfield while he was on the disabled list: center fielder Ender Inciarte and right fielder Nick Markakis got hot before the AllStar break and were keys to the Braves’ midseason turnaround under then-interim manager Brian Snitker, and the Braves traded for veteran left fielder Matt Kemp, whose power bat helped boost the offense to impressive levels after he joined the team Aug. 2.
When Smith returned in September, after a short rehab stint in Double-A, there were few playing opportunities for him in an outfield that now had three everyday players, all performing well for a team that won 20 of its final 30 games and went 50-47 in its last 97 games.
For Smith, there were plenty of highs and some lows during a rookie season that was eventful to say the least. The former minor league stolen-base leader was called up earlier than anyone anticipated after Inciarte was injured in the first week of the season and DL’d for a month.
Arriving sooner than expected, struggling initially, then getting a thumb broken by a fastball just as he was starting to excel and playing on a regular basis. Smith’s overview of all that transpired shows again what the Braves like so much about his mental makeup — his personality and positive attitude.
As things stand, Smith figures to enter the 2017 season as a fourth outfielder. Or, if the Braves think it’d be better for his development, they could send him back to Triple-A to start the season.
There’s always a chance they could trade an outfielder. But the Braves would prefer to build around rather than trade Inciarte, and they’re more reluctant now to trade Markakis, a clubhouse leader whose offensive production in 2016 returned to form in his second season after he had major neck surgery.
Kemp’s large contract — the Braves owe him $18 million annually over the next three seasons — and impact in the middle of the lineup behind Freddie Freeman make him a seemingly unlikely trade piece, too.
Smith isn’t taking anything for granted and knows that even a bench job on the opening-day roster isn’t guaranteed. He thinks spring training will be important for him.
“I’ve still got to come in and play regardless,” he said. “I don’t care who they’ve got here. Everybody’s going to come and fight for a position. And if I show up thinking I’ve got anything (assured), I’ll be back in Triple-A.”
For now, though, he’s focusing on the Mexican Winter League and said he’s doing everything he can to better himself as a player and teammate.