Braves outfielder Ender Inciarte has had a season’s worth of highlights.
On Saturday, he added another play to the list as he threw out Rockies infielder Mark Reynolds in the ninth inning of the Braves 4-3 loss.
“I was telling myself, if I get a base hit here, it is a slow runner so just make sure you catch it and make an accurate throw to home plate,” Inciarte said. “I wasn’t trying to do too much and throw hard. I wanted to make an accurate throw and make it nice and easy.”
The assist was his 11th on the season and his fourth in his last 14 games. He leads the National League in assists and has 31 assists since 2014.
Those numbers have stabilized the Braves outfield. Since his return from a strained left hamstring on May 7, he has boasted a 1.4 dWAR (defensive wins above replacement). He credits his success to the ability to visualize the play before it happens.
“The most important thing in the outfield is to anticipate what you are trying to do,” Inciarte said. “You don’t want to be caught off-guard. You want to know what you want to do before the ball is hit to you.”
Inciarte’s anticipation has helped him this season. He has a .978 fielding percentage and has committed only four errors. He has also left opponents confused, as many baserunners are tricked into mistakes.
“I’m glad that I have it (trick move) and can do it,” he said. If I do it and it works, it looks good. Sometimes it doesn’t work and you have really smart runners that know what you are trying to do.”
His most memorable “deke” moment happened on May 10 against the Philadelphia Phillies. In that game, he threw his hands up, motioning that he couldn’t see the ball. At the last minute, he caught it and threw a strike to first base to double-off catcher Carlos Ruiz.
The play was marveled by his teammates and showed how good Inciarte has been defensively in 2016.
“He is one of my good buddies in the locker room,” Peterson said. “He is a great center fielder and I think he has a great arm and tremendous knowledge of the game. He knows where to be and how to position himself right. I know I can trust him when we are out there.”
That trust has spread throughout the locker room. Many players, like Chase D’Arnaud, are happy to play alongside him and have appreciated what he brings to the team.
“He is an incredible outfielder and one of the best I’ve ever seen,” D’Arnaud said. “I love playing the outfield and he makes me want to play it even more. I picked up so many little things from him that I want to apply out there to my game.”
