Mallex Smith

Position: OF
Born: 5/6/1993
Height: 5'9
Weight: 170
B/T: L/R
Acquired: Acquired as party of trade for OF Justin Upton (ATL). Originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft (SDP)

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
2015 SEASON STATS: Combined to hit .306 with two homers, 35 RBIs and 57 steals along with 84 runs, 148 hits and a .373 OBP between Mississippi (Double-A) and Gwinnett (Triple-A).

Info & MLB Debut Date
Recalled from Gwinnett April 11 when OF Ender Inciarte went on the DL.
MLB Debut Date: 4/11/2016

Debut Details
April 11, in a 6-4 loss to the Nationals. The starting center fielder, he batted leadoff and went 1-for-3 with a run scored. After striking out swinging in his first at-bat, he hit a two-out infield single in the second inning off of Max Scherzer and came around to score on a double by Nick Markakis. He reached base on a fielder’s choice in the fourth inning but was caught stealing (see below in “Player Notes” for more details on that event) and left the game.

Player Notes
Smith entered the MLB record books by becoming the first player ever with the name Mallex. But if his big league numbers are anything like the stats he’s posted on the way up, we may be writing about some of his namesakes in this column somewhere around 2030. (hey, we can dream can’t we?) He certainly made an impression in his debut, though. Caught stealing in the fourth inning, his batting helmet came off on the slide and bounced back into his face, causing a deep cut under his left eye which required five stitches and produced some pretty grisly photo opps. In good spirits after the game, he was back in the lineup the next night. Arguably the best athlete in the Braves’ farm system, he is certainly the speediest, as his 88 steals in 2014 will attest (and his 57 last season weren’t too shabby). In the brief time before his promotion, he was hitting .400 (5-for-16) at Gwinnett with two doubles, a triple and a steal in three games. A Braves fan growing up, he was the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year in 2015, his first season with the system, finishing fifth in the minors in steals and leading the organization in runs and hits and as well as swipes. In 2014 with the Padres he combined to hit .310 between Fort Wayne (Class A) and Lake Elsinore (High A) with a .403 OBP.

2080 Notes
He’s a burner that has enough feel to swipe bags with regularity and stretch extra bases when opportunity allows. Chews up grass in center field; utilizes speed to make up for inefficient routes. Improving reads/glove. Good feel for barrel at the plate but lacks in power and will need to show ability to drive the ball some to keep MLB arms honest. Fourth outfielder profile with shot at growing into a everyday center fielder if there’s enough juice in the stick to make him a viable down order bat. Profile plays at the top of a batting order only if he gives pitchers a reason to walk him on occasion. As fourth outfielder should see regular time late in games as pinch runner.