In some ways, Matt Lipka is the forgotten man in the Braves’ farm system. Their first pick in the 2010 draft has seen his career derailed by devastating injuries, first to his hamstring and more recently his hand.
When Lipka finally got healthy again this past winter, he watched the Braves fortify their organization with an overhaul of prospects from a dozen offseason trades. So where does that leave him?
Technically, in the eighth or ninth spot in the batting order for the Double-A Mississippi Braves. But from there, in the first few weeks of the season, the 23-year-old Lipka has created a ruckus. He was hitting .377 with a .418 on-base percentage through his first 18 games.
Lipka had hit safely in 13 of his previous 14 games, including a nine-game hitting streak, entering Friday’s game against Montgomery. He had three doubles and two triples on the season, as well as three stolen bases.
“I am very hungry for this,” Lipka said by phone this week. “I was drafted for a reason, and I know that. A lot of people have forgotten what I can do. Each time I’ve come back from an injury, I’ve wanted to prove people wrong, and I’ve come back almost hungrier. I’ve got a chip on my shoulder. I just want to show people what I can do. I just want to let everybody know out there, Matt Lipka is back and healthy, and this is what I can do.”
Lipka was drafted 35th overall in 2010 as a supplemental-round pick out of McKinney (Texas) High School.
The Braves converted the two-time All-State high school football receiver from shortstop to center field. At one point Baseball America ranked Lipka as the sixth-best prospect in the Braves organization. He’s been rated the organization’s best athlete three times and its fastest runner twice. Now he’s not among Baseball America’s top 30 Braves prospects.
Lipka plays mostly left field and in center when Mallex Smith needs a day off. Smith is the new speedster in the organization, ranked the 17th-best Braves prospect, who came from the Padres organization in the Justin Upton trade. Manager Aaron Holbert had Lipka bat leadoff while Smith needed a few days to rest a foot sprain, which Smith hurt rounding first base Sunday. But Lipka was expected to be back down in the order when Smith is ready to go.
“That’s fine,” Lipka said. “I knew that was part of the territory. With all the stuff that has happened, part of me, too, is just grateful that I’m even out there playing. I do realize that I’m lucky to even have the opportunity still.”
Now Lipka is the one watching other prospects deal with the pressure of high expectations.
“This year I’ve gone out and just whatever happens, happens,” Lipka said. “I do realize that if I were to have an injury this year, it would probably be close to the end of the road. I’m just glad that I’m able to play. I’m having fun with it and relaxing, playing safe and playing smart, and just going out there and letting it all hang out and let the people who make the decisions — let that be theirs — and just worry about myself and do what I have to do.”
Playing smart has meant not sliding head-first and getting comfortable sliding with his right leg tucked again. That way Lipka can protect the left hand he injured, first in 2013, while sliding with his left leg tucked. (He originally slid with his right leg tucked, but changed after he tore his right hamstring in 2012). Lipka wears a padded batting glove custom-made for him. And he puts on a sliding guard as soon as he reaches base.
If you ask Braves director of player development Dave Trembley, Lipka’s speed is back where it was.
“The guy has got plus speed,” said Trembley, who compares Lipka with Sam Fuld of the Oakland Athletics. “He’s a top-of-the-order type guy, can play all three (outfield) positions. He certainly has the tools. He needs to stay healthy. The rest will take care of itself.”
Lipka burst onto the Braves scene in 2010 by hitting .302 in 48 games in rookie ball with the Gulf Coast League Braves, but he hit only .247 in low-A Rome the following year. Then the injuries stunted his trajectory. He tore his hamstring 51 games into his 2012 season in high-A Lynchburg. While he returned to play a full season in Lynchburg in 2013, a hand injury cropped up late and limited him to one hit in his final 30 at-bats. Hand problems resurfaced in 2014 and limited him to 28 games in Double-A last year.
Through it all, surgery to re-attach his hamstring, a stem-cell shot and some 10 weeks in a cast for his hand injury, he’s relied on his family and advice from his father, Tim Lipka, to stay positive.
“I’ve loved every second of being in this organization,” said Lipka, who was born in Snellville and grew up a Braves fan before moving to Texas at age 8. “The changes they made doesn’t change that. I still fully support the organization, and I want to be a productive big leaguer for them. It’s just been a crazy experience for me as far as the injuries — the freak, freak injuries. You’ve just got to stay tough through it all. I’m due not to have some adversity for a few years after all I’ve been through.”
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