Gold Gloves, getting hits: Ender Inciarte can be difference for Atlanta Braves
By Seth Carter
Breaking Good?
Over his first two seasons in Atlanta, he hit .298 with 178 runs scored and 38 stolen bases. Inciarte rarely strikes out, with his highest total being 94 in a season in which he had 718 plate appearances.
The past two seasons he has been quite streaky, the combination of cold streaks and injuries have left a somewhat sour taste in fans’ mouths. Consider his first and second half splits of 2018:
2018 Splits
First Half: .241/.312/.337
Second Half: .302/.345/.448
Thanks in part to injuries, Ender Inciarte is coming off his worst single-season batting average with a .246 in 2019.
By May 14th, he was sitting on a .218 average with a .300 OBP. That would be his last game until July 18th.
He returned a healthy and productive player, giving us a glimpse of the player we fell in love with when he first arrived in Atlanta. The fun only lasted for one month. In that month he hit .293 with a .398 OBP. Alas, he was destined to return to the IL and not to be seen again in 2019.
It’s probable that Ender’s 2019 numbers can be attributed to his lumbar, hamstring, and quad injuries that plagued him all season.
Despite his first-half issues the past two seasons, his defense has remained stellar every season…except for 2019.
Perhaps a true indicator of Ender’s injury-woes last season, he posted a -1 defensive-runs saved.
With that in mind… Let’s take a look at how he stacked up to the rest of the league in Fangraphs defensive runs saved – sans last season.
Most Defensive Runs Saved 2014-2018
- Kevin Kiermaier: 117
- Mookie Betts: 98
- Jason Heyward: 92
- Ender Inciarte: 86