The 2018 Braves, at least on paper, are the best team center fielder Ender Inciarte has been on since arriving in December 2015.
Winning, or something of the sort, would be a welcomed change. Inciarte, 27, had a career-best year in 2017 but his team finished with 72 wins, its fourth-straight losing campaign.
Yet the atmosphere, Inciarte says, is still upbeat and cohesive.
“There’s a lot of good vibes in here,” he said. “We all get along with each other, pull for each other. We’re trying to win the most games that we can. Hopefully it’s going to be a fun season for everyone. But right now we’re just waiting for Thursday (opening day) to get here.”
Come Thursday, Inciarte will begin a quest for his second-straight 200-hit season. The gold glove outfielder had 201 in 157 games, slashing .304/.350/.409.
His performance was for not given the team’s rebuilding state. This season is supposed to be a bridge-year to contention if things go accordingly, especially with the upcoming talent such as outfielder Ronald Acuna and starter Mike Soroka.
The inevitability of their arrival is one reason for Inciarte’s proclaimed positivity.
“They have a lot of energy,” Inciarte said of the prospects. “They’re very happy to be around the clubhouse. It was fun watching them play. They have a lot of talent and hopefully will show it here too.”
Among the young players exciting Inciarte is Ozzie Albies. First baseman Freddie Freeman and others in the organization have pinpointed the Inciarte-Albies duo atop the lineup as one of the team’s biggest strengths.
But Inciarte isn’t enthused by potential. He wants results.
“I don’t want to talk about how good we can be,” Inciarte said. “We have to show it on the field and I think we did the best we can to be in the best position, as far as preparation goes. When the season starts, we’re going to do our best to show everyone what we can do.”
Inciarte and Albies serving as terrors on the base paths is particularly important for these Braves. The team is lacking power in an era plush with it. They’re going to have to win playing small-ball, something Inciarte believes is reasonable.
“The main thing for us is to be on the bases,” he said. “We might not see a lot of home runs but we have a lot of people who can put the ball in the gap. We just have to be on base. … Just take the extra base hit whenever we get the chance and get in position to score runs.”
