The Braves entered the offseason with the goal of moving one of their corner outfielders. That definitely happened, as Matt Kemp was moved to the Dodgers for an array of 2018-focused salary obligations, but it was pretty much the only action that the Braves have made this offseason.
Unless the Braves are also able to move on from Nick Markakis, the bulk of 2018 figures to be covered by an outfield of Ronald Acuña, Ender Inciarte, and Markakis. However, until Acuña is called up from the minors, it’s anyone’s guess who will slot into the remaining corner outfield spot.
Ender Inciarte
Ender Inciarte returns for his third season in an Atlanta Braves uniform. Since coming to Atlanta he has turned in two Gold Glove performances and served as the table setter for Atlanta’s lineup. 2017 was one of his best seasons yet offensively as he became the first Braves players since Marquis Grissom to record 200 hits. He also added 27 doubles to go along with a career-high 11 home runs.
Inciarte’s calling card remains his defense. Per FanGraphs, his UZR rating and Defensive Runs Saved dipped in 2017. However, he trailed only Minnesota’s Byron Buxton in Statcast’s new Outs Above Average metric with 19. Also worth considering is that Inciarte spent most of the season playing next to Kemp, who according to Statcast was the worst defensive outfielder in baseball, and Nick Markakis, who also rated as below average.
Nick Markakis
Nick Markakis enters the final season of a four-year contract that he signed back during the 2014-2015 offseason. Since then his performance could be described as both average offensively, below average overall, and reliable. In 2017, he put up a .275/.354/.384 line to go along with 39 doubles and eight home runs. He saw his power dip again and his wRC+ dropped to 95. His defensive reputation has always been greater than his actual defensive performance.
The Braves like Markakis’ leadership, which can be important on what will be a young roster. Once Kemp was removed from the equation, moving Markakis became less of a priority. Whether or not he sticks in right field for the entire season remains to be seen, but at this point it would be a mild surprise to not see him in the opening day outfield for 2018.
Lane Adams
Here is where things get interesting. One of the primary goals of the offseason was to open up a spot in the outfield for top prospect Ronald Acuña. The Braves accomplished that goal by moving Kemp. Acuña will no doubt go to Spring Training with the intention of proving that the Braves can’t afford not to open the season with him in the outfield. However, it feels likely that the Braves will elect to have Acuña open the season at Triple-A for at least a couple of weeks in order to gain another full year of team control over him. Management has made multiple statements laying the groundwork to this effect, and with the Braves failing to upgrade the roster to create a possible contender, it makes more sense that Acuña’s arrival in Atlanta will be delayed by at least a few weeks.
This temporary absence could potentially open up a spot in the Opening Day outfield for either Lane Adams or new addition Preston Tucker.
Adams was a pleasant surprise for the Braves in 2017, emerging as a fourth outfielder hitting .275/.339/.468 in 85 games. He has some speed and the ability to play all three outfield positions. There is a question as to whether he can sustain his offensive success but may be well suited to a reserve role or a platoon situation at least until Acuña’s arrives. If nothing else, the Braves have been just fine with giving Markakis over 2,000 PAs across the last three seasons, so devoting a handful of PAs to Adams to start the year does not seem like a stretch.
Preston Tucker
Atlanta acquired Preston Tucker in a trade with the Houston Astros in December. Tucker appeared in 98 games for the Astros back in 2015 and 48 more in 2016. However, he spent all of the 2017 season at the Triple-A level.
Tucker will come to Spring Training with an opportunity to earn a spot in Atlanta’s outfield. As a left-handed hitter with some power, he is an intriguing option despite some defensive shortfalls. A platoon situation seems in order with Tucker and Adams if Acuña’s does in fact begin the season in Triple-A. From there, they may be competing to see who remains in the majors after Acuña’s is promoted. However, Tucker may have an uphill battle in this regard, as his defense appears to be a serious liability, and the Braves may want their fourth outfielder to be able to serve as a pinch runner or defensive replacement.
Ronald Acuña
Acuña is coming to spring camp as a non-roster invitee, but the question at this point seems to be a matter of when, not if he will arrive. He has emerged as the consensus (non-import) top prospect in baseball after hitting a combined .325/.374/.522 with 21 home runs across three levels. He is good enough defensively to play center although he will likely settle into one of the corner positions in 2018.
All eyes will be on Acuña in the spring. If he performs well there, there will no doubt be pressure on the Braves to place him on the Opening Day roster. However, given the time the franchise has put into the rebuild and their current expectations for this season, it would seem unlikely that they would forfeit a whole year of control for a two week stint to begin the season.
The Braves are also bringing some other intriguing non-roster players to camp. Perhaps the biggest name among the group is Cristian Pache, who spent the 2017 season at Rome. Pache is just 19 years old, but is described as being ready defensively now. He has shown virtually no power to this point but many scouts believe that it will develop. His inclusion on the Spring Training invitees list was a bit eye opening, and it will be interesting to see how much of an opportunity he gets.
Two more prospects who will be in camp are Ray-Patrick Didder and Dustin Peterson. Didder struggled a bit at High-A Florida last season, hitting .230/.331/.330 in 118 games. Peterson came to spring camp last season in hopes of earning a spot in the Braves outfield picture for 2017. A broken hamate bone during the spring ended that dream, and he struggled upon his return hitting just .248/.318/.318 in 87 games at Gwinnett. The injury sapped his power as he hit just one home run at the Triple-A level. If he is fully recovered and shows something, he may wedge himself in to the competition for an outfield spot.
The Braves elected to not put Peterson on the 40-man roster earlier this offseason and thus exposed him to the Rule 5 Draft. He went unpicked and is back at Spring Training and once again looking for an opportunity.
Also in camp for the Braves will be Danny Santana and Jaff Decker. Santana split the 2017 season between Minnesota and Atlanta but failed to make much of an impact. The Braves elected to non-tender at the end of the season but re-signed him to a minor league deal. Santana has some versatility and speed but just hasn’t hit enough to stick.
Decker spent most of last season at the Triple-A level for the Athletics where he hit .274/.342/.368 with six home runs. He has 77 games worth of experience at the major league level but has hit just .174 in 191 at bats.
Spring Training Outlook
The situation with Acuña will no doubt be one of the most discussed storylines of the spring. However, an intriguing battle may emerge behind him between Adams, Tucker and even Peterson. Inciarte is the anchor in center and Markakis figures to be in right as long as he is on the roster.