SARASOTA, Fla. – For some idea of how far Braves center-field prospect Mallex Smith has come in one year, consider he had a home run, two triples and a double Wednesday in an 11-4 win against the Orioles in his first spring-training start of 2016.
He had two triples in the seven-run first inning, something that’s only been done by nine players in major league history during the regular season, and just once since 1984.
“It was awesome,” said Smith, who was then asked what he was thinking after his second triple of the opening inning. His smile lit up. “What a heck of a first inning. I was up there trying to put together some good (at-bats), that’s all.”
Now listen as Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez recalls what Smith did in his Grapefruit League debut a year ago in his first major league camp, a performance memorable for all the wrong reasons.
“I think he called the right fielder off and a ball dropped in,” Gonzalez said, when asked last week what he remembered about Smith’s 2015 spring-training debut. “I think he had a bunt and fell down running down the baseline. I think he got picked off twice, then he got thrown out at second on a stolen base. And then someone said, ‘Mallex, welcome to the big leagues.’”
Smith, now 22 and in his second season in the Braves organization, looks much closer to being ready for the big leagues than he did then. The seriously speedy Tallahassee native showed Wednesday, on a warm and humid afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium, what speed and good contact at the plate can produce.
“He’s getting better,” said Gonzalez, after joking that he’d had prospects Smith and 19-year-old infielder Ozzie Albies (3-for-5 with a homer, three RBIs) come in to work with Gonzalez personally Wednesday morning. “(Smith) is cleaning up his game, and he’s getting closer to the major leagues. He’s receptive to everything, which is good. He’s got a great attitude along with pretty good talent, which we saw a little bit of today. Especially the speed – that’s game-changing speed. For him and Albies.
“Both of those guys had some pretty good at-bats. That’s our young kids.”
Smith led minor league baseball with 88 stolen bases in 120 games in 2014, when he hit .310 with a .403 OBP for two Single-A Padres affiliates.
The Braves got him from San Diego in the December 2014 trade for Justin Upton, and Smith hit .306 with a .373 OBP, eight triples, two home runs and 57 stolen bases in a combined 120 games last season in Double-A and Triple-A. He hit .281 with a .339 OBP in 69 games at Triple-A Gwinnett.
After getting just 11 plate appearances in spring training a year ago, Smith has seven in the first two games this spring. On Wednesday he was 4-for-6 with four extra-base hits, only a single shy of hitting for the cycle.
He flied out in the ninth inning, and said if the Braves hadn’t led by such a big margin, he might’ve laid down a bunt to try for the single. He said he’s never hit for the cycle at any level.
Smith has played only one season above the Single-A level, and isn’t considered a candidate for the opening-day roster. The Braves have Ender Inciarte penciled in for center field, Hector Olivera for left, Nick Markakis in right.
They also have an abundance of backups including Emilio Bonifacio, non-roster candidate Jeff Francoeur, and veterans Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher, the latter duo owed a combined $29 million in 2017. Bourn and/or Swisher could be traded if the Braves can get a suitor to pick up any of the money they’re owed.
Smith moved from center to left field in the fifth inning, replacing Bourn when Bonifacio entered the game in center.
There’s no rush to get him to the majors, but if he has a good start to the season in Triple-A Gwinnett, there’s a good chance Smith could make his major league debut at some point during the 2016 season. Eventually he’s expected to take over in center, with Inciarte perhaps moving to a corner outfield position.
“If they continue to keep me up here, I’m going to continue to try to put my best on the field,” Smith said. “And if they don’t, I’m going to go down to the minor leagues and put my best on the field…. This is just a stepping stone to keep building off.”
Gonzalez said, “He’s more polished than last year in everything he does. And I think he’s serious. He’s close to the big leagues – he made some big jumps last year, from Double-A to Triple-A. Now he’s close to the big leagues and you see him working on his craft, whether it’s the bunting game or talking to the outfielders, to Bourn and to Andruw (Jones) about playing center field. There’s no two better guys to talk to in camp; you’ve got pretty good experience out there.”
