Atlanta Braves: 3 players that surprised us in 2019
By Josh Mathews
Adam Duvall
By all accounts, Adam Duvall looked like a has-been for the Atlanta Braves in 2018. After an All-Star campaign with the Cincinnati Reds in 2016 and back-to-back 30 home run seasons that year and 2017, he was a budding star, or at least, a premium power bat.
However, things sharply declined afterwards.
After the Atlanta Braves acquired him for Matt Wisler, Preston Tucker, and Lucas Sims, he hit just .132, looking completely lost at the plate.
In the 2019 offseason, Duvall was tendered a contract for $3 million, and then after a less than inspiring spring, spent most of the 2019 season in Triple-A with the Gwinnett Stripers.
He was able to get things going in the minors, hitting .266 with 32 home runs and 92 RBI over 101 games.
Injuries in the outfield to Nick Markakis and then Ender Inciarte and a slumping Austin Riley translated into an opportunity for Duvall.
Over 120 at-bats, he hit .266 and socked 10 home runs. That earned him a spot on the postseason roster.
Then, on the biggest stage, he did not disappoint.
In game two of the NLDS, he launched a two-run home run off Jack Flaherty to increase the Atlanta Braves lead that led to a win.
And then in game three, it was Duvall who supplied a two-run single off Carlos Martinez in the 9th to again, give the Atlanta Braves the lead, and eventually, the win.
Playing the hero in two postseason games after spending most of the year riding a bus in Triple-A had to have a redeeming feeling.
All-in-all, it wasn’t a bad year for a guy who had to swallow his pride in the minor leagues.
Duvall is under team control through arbitration, so the Atlanta Braves would appear wise to retain him to be at the least a valuable bench piece or fill-in player.