The Atlanta Braves’ outfield will have a similar look as Ronald Acuna Jr, Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis return for the 2019 season. The only real question mark as far as the roster goes is whether or not Adam Duvall can bounce back and provide the team with some depth off the bench. The team is also bringing top prospects Cristian Pache and Drew Waters to camp so this will be a position group worth paying attention to for the next several weeks.
Locks
Ronald Acuña Jr. came into 2018 with a world of expectations and lived up to every single one of them capturing the Rookie of the Year award in the National League. It looks like he will be a fixture in Atlanta’s outfield for years to come. The Braves will benefit from a full year of Acuña in 2018 and while it remains to be seen where he will hit in the order, he will be asked to carry a significant load offensively. He appears to be up for the task after finishing 2018 on a tear hitting .322/.403/.625 with 19 home runs over the final 68 games.
Ender Inciarte will return to the Braves’ outfield in 2019 and perhaps to the top of the batting order. Brian Snitker is reportedly entertaining the idea of hitting Inciarte first again in 2019 while dropping Ronald Acuna down in the order. Inciarte put together an uneven 2018 season at the plate, struggling early on before finding his groove in the second half, which is something that’s not uncommon for him, as he’s had dramatic splits in this regard every year of his career except 2017. Inciarte put together a .241/.312/.337 line over the first 91 games. He had a BABIP of .269 during that span. That reverted back in the second half where he hit .302/.345./.448 over the final 65 games. He had a BABIP of .330 during that stretch.
Inciarte’s real value though comes on defense where he has won three straight Gold Glove awards and remains one of the best defensive outfielders in the league. He further benefited from Atlanta’s improved positioning and defensive focus last season, and bounced back from a 2017 in which he posted a relatively down defensive year per DRS and UZR. (Though, it’s worth noting that his OAA and CPA have been eerily consistent at +21 and +5% in each of the last three years, so it wasn’t necessarily his own personal range that was the cause of a defensive slide in 2017.)
Inciarte probably doesn’t belong at the top of any batting order but his value goes beyond his bat. He has emerged as a team leader and is the anchor for what should be one of the best defensive teams again this season.
By most measures, Nick Markakis had one of the best seasons of his career in 2018. He won a Silver Slugger Award, a Gold Glove and made his first appearance in an All-Star Game. Yet he returns to Atlanta on a $4 million deal which is less than half of his salary from a year ago. The Braves reportedly sought an upgrade in the corner outfield but settled on bringing back Markakis for another season. Despite his good results in 2018, he appeared to wear down as the season progressed and there are doubts as to whether he can duplicate that success in 2019.
Markakis hit .323/.389/.488 and had a wRC+ of 133 over the first 94 games. He hit just .258/.352/.369 with a wRC+ of 88 over the final 68. He brings the intangibles that Brian Snitker appreciates and is undoubtedly a leader in the clubhouse. The Braves are hoping that a few more off days will help him sustain that success but this was an area where many people were hoping to see an upgrade for this season.
Fourth Outfielder
One of the biggest questions of the offseason will be the status of Adam Duvall whom the Braves acquired from the Cincinnati Reds prior to the trade deadline last season. The plan then was for Duvall to enter into a platoon situation with Ender Inciarte against left handed pitching. However, he struggled so bad after being acquired that his future with the club was left in question.
Duvall hit just .205/.286/.399 with 15 home runs while with the Reds. He was just 7-for-53 in an Atlanta uniform. The Braves elected to tender him a contract and avoided arbitration agreeing on a $2.875 million deal that is non-guaranteed. If his struggles continue during the spring, Atlanta could look for help elsewhere.
Non-Roster Invitees
The Braves will also bring top outfield prospects Cristian Pache and Drew Waters along with 2018 draft pick Greyson Jenista to camp as non-roster invitees. Pache saw time in camp last season and has seen his stock rise. There are few questions in regards to his defense but he must continue to make strides at the plate. Pache is expected to begin the season at Double-A but we could hear his name mentioned as an outfield option in 2020.
Similarly, Waters put together a great season in A-ball for for Rome and then finished the year at High-A Florida. His has started to garner praise among Top 100 lists and could move up even further with another strong season.
Jenista was a second round pick in 2018 who put up good numbers at Rome before struggling in a small sample at High-A Florida. He’s a college bat that should be able to adjust quickly and could be an option sometime in 2021.
Atlanta will also bring veterans Ryan LaMarre and Rafael Ortega to camp. LaMarre split the 2018 season between the White Sox and the Twins. He has appeared in 105 games at the major league level while hitting .238/.283/.322 for five different organizations. Ortega appeared in 41 games with the Marlins last season where he hit .236/.291/.286 in 143 plate appearances.
A final note here is that third baseman Austin Riley and Johan Camargo have been mentioned in interviews as taking reps in the outfield in Spring Training. They represent another option, though not one that will likely be handed the reins on Opening Day.
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