Atlanta Braves positional previews vs NL East: Left Field
Life as a baseball follower at the present time feels quite bizarre; amid the global coronavirus pandemic that has halted spring training and the beginning of the season, Atlanta Braves fans are far from alone in having to exercise a great deal of patience.
However long it may be until that glorious Opening Day finally arrives, though, the heart of a baseball fan ultimately looks to what lies ahead, and there is still much for the Atlanta Braves to feel excited about.
The back-to-back National League East champions will once again be a force in whatever version of a 2020 season the future holds, though the competition expects to be fierce.
Tomahawk Take continues its preseason coverage of the NL East positional previews with a spot that can arguably be called a strength for most teams in the division: left field.
This group ranges from talented youngsters to strong veterans, and the pecking order could certainly be up for some debate, but here’s our best crack at it.
5. Miami Marlins
Yep – even the lowest rung on the ladder has to be feeling good about its left field situation entering the season.
The Miami Marlins – they of the next-to-lowest payroll in all of baseball – caught many off-guard with their shrewd 2-year, $17.5 million signing of Corey Dickerson. The left-handed hitting outfielder has put up some respectable numbers over the years with the Rockies, Rays, and Pirates (and briefly the Phillies).
While his performance won’t blow you away, there’s no denying that most teams in baseball would appreciate a bat like Dickerson’s on the roster.
Over the last three seasons, Corey Dickerson has hit for a 119 wRC+ and a .294 batting average.
He also cranked out 51 homers in two seasons with the Rays from 2016-2017, so while those numbers dipped with Pittsburgh (13 and 12 homers in ’18 and ’19 respectively), Dickerson still has a track record of being able to be a slightly above-average power hitter.
The Marlins will lose some of the benefit of the doubt in this ranking, however, when you consider that Dickerson put up his numbers last season while playing in only a part-time role (78 games). He’ll also turn age 31 in May, meaning some regression of his numbers is a reasonable expectation.
Having said that, Corey Dickerson is still a very solid option to slot into left field on an everyday basis down in Miami, while Harold Ramirez provides some decent depth behind him.