Braves CF prospect Mallex Smith: Lofton-like?
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Mallex Smith, a speedy Braves center-field prospect acquired from the Padres in this winter’s Justin Upton trade, was taking batting practice Tuesday morning. New Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and president of baseball operations John Hart were among the onlookers next to the cage.
Smith was instructed to bunt on the last pitch of his round, and he laid down a beauty. He didn’t turn square toward the pitcher, but used a drag-bunt method, moving quickly out of the box after making contact with the ball and hitting it on the ground, where it rolled some 15-20 feet in front of the plate.
“I like that, a little Kenny Lofton!” said Seitzer, a former Kansas City third baseman who faced Lofon many times in the 1990s when Lofton played for Cleveland. “That son of a buck always got me with that.”
Hart, Indians general manager in the 1990s, laughed and said to Seitzer, “Yeah, I saw a little K-Lo in that, too.”
Like Lofton, Smith, 21, is a left-handed hitter with blazing speed. The Tallahassee native is likely to start at Double-A Mississippi after hitting .310 with a .403 on-base percentage and leading minor league baseball with 88 stolen bases (114 attempts) in 120 games for two Padres Single-A affiliates. His 41 extra-base hits included seven triples and five home runs.
In his first full season of pro ball in 2013, Smith hit .262 with a .367 OBP for Single-A Fort Wayne and had 64 steals (80 attempts) in 110 games.
