Mallex Smith - splits and progression

[Preacher]

April - .188/.278/.292 with 2 SB / 4 CS
May - .267/.300/.493 with 4 SB / 3 CS
June - .286/.390/.343 with 5 SB 0 CS

Again, its been his MO at every stop to struggle for awhile before eventually adjusting.

vs LHP - .070/.167/.116
vs RHP - ..313/.370/.504

Will he ever be able to hit lefties at a moderate level?? Have to let him try this season.

Play the kid every day.

[Enscheff]

I think he has less than 50 PAs vs LHers, and has been benched against them recently. They definitely need to let him give it a shot.

[yeezus]

I think he has less than 50 PAs vs LHers, and has been benched against them recently. They definitely need to let him give it a shot.

49 PA, 43 ABs. Not nearly enough.

[bravos4evr]

He has always kept a hit log so he can study where and how is is successful or needed to work on things. Like you said, he has always moved up, struggled, then adjusted. I think he's going to turn out to be a solid major league player. Probably not a star,but a guy you can rely on for 2-3 WAR every year and you need several of those guys in a playoff caliber team.

[yeezus]

He has always kept a hit log so he can study where and how is is successful or needed to work on things. Like you said, he has always moved up, struggled, then adjusted. I think he's going to turn out to be a solid major league player. Probably not a star,but a guy you can rely on for 2-3 WAR every year and you need several of those guys in a playoff caliber team.

I think he'd sit around 3 in CF. but we have a stud defensive CF, so he'll have to play left.

[striker42]

He's going to be another exactly in the mold of Michael Bourn or Juan Pierre. In fact, if he can draw walks like he has in the minors he might end up getting on base even more than those guys.

[The Chosen One]

He's going to be another exactly in the mold of Michael Bourn or Juan Pierre. In fact, if he can draw walks like he has in the minors he might end up getting on base even more than those guys.

I'm thinking Lofton.

[yeezus]

I'm thinking Lofton.

that's rather lofty

[Julio3000]

I don't see why we wouldn't just give him a shot to play every day. I share the longer-term concerns about having he, Ender, and Neck in the same OF, but I see zero downside in playing him every day to see if he can hit LHP unless and until we bring in another option.

[thewupk]

I think he'd sit around 3 in CF. but we have a stud defensive CF, so he'll have to play left.

He should be 3 WAR in LF too then.

[yeezus]

He should be 3 WAR in LF too then.

oh they're not compared to their specific positional counterparts? or are LF and CF just closer than I thought? because I'd assume LFers are a fair amount better offensively. but I guess his defense might bridge the gap?

[UNCBlue012]

If he can bring his stats against lefties up even a little bit, the guy could have a really nice career. He absolutely slashes righties.

[yeezus]

He should be 3 WAR in LF too then.

but if this is the case, then what's the issue with Inciarte and Mallex together besides lack of power? if they're both capable of good WARs, then WAR is WAR, correct? I think Inciarte was at like 5.6 bWAR last year (3.3 fWAR).

[chop2chip]

Mallex looks like he's going to stick as a good regular. He has some power, good OBP, off the charts speed, and much better defense than anticipated. He swings and misses too much, but it's still early. Most scouting reports pegged him as a fourth outfielder, but I think we can upgrade that to average regular at this point.

[Millwood1Hitter]

We could fix that power issue really easily with an acquisition of someone like Wil Myers and put him in left. Find an adequate 3rd baseman with some power, and an adequate all-around offensive and defensive catcher and we could have something here.

[yeezus]

We could fix that power issue really easily with an acquisition of someone like Wil Myers and put him in left. Find an adequate 3rd baseman with some power, and an adequate all-around offensive and defensive catcher and we could have something here.

you say "easily" but none of that stuff is necessarily "easy" to accomplish.

[bravos4evr]

but if this is the case, then what's the issue with Inciarte and Mallex together besides lack of power? if they're both capable of good WARs, then WAR is WAR, correct? I think Inciarte was at like 5.6 bWAR last year (3.3 fWAR).

the defensive adjustment for CF is pretty high but requires superior defense to really take advantage of.There is no bat adjustment for any position, it's all just defensive and all bats are compared to each other and not by position. If Mallex posted the same DRS and UZR at LF as he did in CF we would expect around an extra win from his year at CF.

[bravos4evr]

We could fix that power issue really easily with an acquisition of someone like Wil Myers and put him in left. Find an adequate 3rd baseman with some power, and an adequate all-around offensive and defensive catcher and we could have something here.

IDK if grabbing Myers for 3 years is a wise investment. He will be in arbitration and getting pricier and we'd only have him for maybe one or 2 years of competitiveness.

[yeezus]

the defensive adjustment for CF is pretty high but requires superior defense to really take advantage of.There is no bat adjustment for any position, it's all just defensive and all bats are compared to each other and not by position. If Mallex posted the same DRS and UZR at LF as he did in CF we would expect around an extra win from his year at CF.

sooo..my initial statement was correct? in CF I could see 3-WAR, but not in left? because thewupk said they'd be the same.

[UNCBlue012]

I think Mallex's progression will be interesting. He's good against righties and actually tends to do a great job of taking pitches and hitting pitches that are normally hard to get too.

If he can pull a .265/.330 slash line with 25-40 SB (I expect more than 25, but just saying), then I think he'll be fine. I personally think he needs to be a 9-hole hitter, he's no leadoff guy - but who knows.