re: The ATL Spring Training Thread: 2016 Edition

So the plan is for Smith to eventually take over in center and shift Inciarte to left? What about Olivera? Does he go back to third? I'm excited to see how it all unfolds.

If we aren't playing Inciarte in CF then he should be traded. He has way more value as trade bait CF than he would as a corner OF.

We'd be better off moving Smith to LF and Olivera to 3B while Inciarte stays in CF, then trade Inciarte if Smith shows he can handle it in the majors.

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Smith is a CF or nothing. If they don't want to play Inciarte in a corner, Smith needs to go while has value.

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Both of them are CF or nothing long term, but we could stick Smith in LF this season when we are going to suck anyway in order to see what we have and decide which to trade.

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I think Ender can play a corner OF.

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Defensively sure, and at an elite level. And Smith could handle LF defensively as well. Neither are really corner OF on a contending team however.

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current state of power. Mallex's D in CF probably won't be enough to make up for his bat, which is why I don't see him as an everyday player.

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Not sure what you are trying to say with the current state of power comment. Inciarte is at his best a league average hitter, and more likely to regress to what we saw in 2014 now that he's moving from the ultra offense friendly stadium in AZ, which was a below average hitter (87 wRC+, .303 wOBA). You can get away with average to below average offensive players at a couple positions and still have a decent offense, but you start getting 3-4 of them in your lineup and you have major issues. If we are sticking a guy like Inciarte at RF we need some good offense at places non-traditional places like catcher, and we don't.

As for Mallex it will depend on his contact skills. If he can hit around .300 and maintain his 10%+ walk rate he has showed in his last few years in the minors he could be a 3+ WAR player just from his bat and speed even with average CF defense. If he's hitting in the .260-.280 range he's likely a fourth OF type. I could see it going either way with him very easily.

I see Ender as an average offensive player, and I meant his bat is passable at a corner OF spot nowadays despite not having much power (because power isn't plentiful these days).

I see Mallex as a fourth OF type, but he should get some play this year to prove me wrong.

Either way, we're going to have to trade or sign a legit OF power bat at some point.

The options to me are either
A. Inciarte is the everyday CF and Mallex is a 4th OF
B. Mallex is the everyday CF and Inciarte is traded

If Mallex is a 4th OF (still would have value if this is all he is), you hang on to Inciarte for the long haul because I don't see any other everyday CF prospects in our system above the age of 18 (Acuna). But if you really think Mallex can be a Bourn-type player then you trade Inciarte as soon as possible because what you could get would be far better than devaluing him (or Smith) by playing one of them in the corner OF.

Ender reaches to begin the game.

So much nostalgia every time I see Frenchy on the card

Duct tape an 18 over that 7 and call it a day