The Braves are tied for the MLB lead in stolen bases with 35, and Ender Inciarte has 51 percent of them.
Inciarte has swiped 18 bags in 21 tries. He’s three ahead of Dee Gordon for most in the majors, with 13 coming in April.
One reason for Inciarte’s success: not hitting in front of Freddie Freeman, suggested manager Brian Snitker.
“A lot of it’s where he’s hitting,” he said. “You hit in front of Freddie, it’s hard to run around because you’re in scoring position at first base when he’s hitting. When you hit lower in the lineup, it gives him more latitude, more freedom to run more. Again, there’s a young player who’s learning things as he’s doing it.”
Inciarte’s career-high in steals is 22, set last season. He had 43 steals in 62 attempts across the past two years.
Much of Inciarte and the Braves’ newfound aggressiveness on the base paths is attributed to first-base coach Eric Young Sr.
Young was a renowned base-stealer in his playing days. He stole 465 bases from 1992-2006, including 50-swipe campaigns in 1996, 1999 and 2000. He stole more than 30 bases 10 times.
“I think EY’s been instrumental in the nuances of stealing bases, what to look for, study each individual pitcher,” Snitker said. “He’s bringing light to these guys and showing them things and helping them. He was a legit base stealer, so he has some experience to play on and he’s imparted what he knows to these guys, and it’s helping them.”
