Ender Inciarte

Inciarte is still on the good side of 30, but he played like a guy on the wrong side of 30 in 2019. He missed more than half the season with core and lower-half injuries. The first injury was a back issue while the final two were both leg injuries, which explains why his running game came to a halt despite a return to his on-base ways after the slip up in 2018. Inciarte is historically an above-average defender, but that reputation took a hit in 2019 with the injuries as well. The Braves have him locked into a long-term deal, and a healthy Inciarte could steal 20-plus bases at the bottom of the lineup while hitting for a solid average, but his playing-time outlook is uncertain after the team signed Marcell Ozuna. Without an everyday spot in the lineup, Inciarte is a tough sell in standard mixed leagues.

It's not like Inciarte's 2018 season was bad by any means, but he was a frustrating player to own in fantasy. After swiping 18 bags over the first two months, Inciarte managed just 10 steals the rest of the way. The drop in steals was a byproduct of Inciarte giving back nearly 40 points in batting average and losing his spot atop the order. Perhaps some of that had to do with poor batted-ball luck (.293 BABIP, .321 for career) though some of it was Inciarte's own doing as he got more pull-happy. He hit double-digit home runs for the second year in a row, but the batting average was a big selling point and if that's no longer part of the deal and the stolen-base opportunities are diminished, Inciarte's value slips a little. He should have a regular role in the Atlanta outfield to start the year, but beyond that, there's some uncertainty.

Over his two seasons in Atlanta, Inciarte has emerged as one of baseball's more underrated two-way center fielders. He's always been a standout with the glove, but he continued to narrow the gap between his defense and offense by raising his power production without noticing any detrimental effects to his contact rate or plate discipline. An overwhelmingly line-drive and groundball hitter, Inciarte shouldn't be counted on for much more than the 11 homers he hit in 2017, but his speed -- he's stolen no fewer than 16 bases in any of his four big-league seasons -- and presence atop Atlanta's lineup will likely be enough to make him a dependable three-category contributor. Though top prospect Ronald Acuna will presumably settle into a full-time gig in the outfield at some point in 2018, his arrival won't negatively impact Inciarte's playing time, since his everyday gig is secure after inking a five-year extension last winter.

Inciarte's elite glove was ahead of his bat once again in 2016, but he still contributed enough to be useful in most formats. He hit the disabled list a week into the season with a groin injury and was very slow to return to form when he got healthy. He limped into the break with a .227/.294/.306 line but still managed eight steals on 11 attempts. After the break, he looked much more like the guy we saw for Arizona in 2015, as he hit .341/.396/.440 the rest of the way while stealing another eight bases on 12 attempts. He also more than doubled the 26 runs scored before the break with 59 runs in the second half. The Braves were sold on his all-around skill set and inked him to a five-year, $30.5 million extension during the offseason. He should be the leadoff hitter for the retooled Atlanta lineup in 2017, and if he can avoid injury and play in 150-plus games, he could break the 30-steal plateau, flirt with 100 runs and post a batting average around .290.

Now 25 years old, Inciarte has established himself as an above-average fantasy outfielder. Speed has been his most valuable asset to date. He made improvements in all of his fantasy categories in 2015, though he played in 14 more games, and he played primarily in right field while also making appearances in left and center. Inciarte appears primed to take on an everyday role in the Braves' outfield in 2016, likely again batting near the top of the order, after being included as part of the return for Shelby Miller. It doesn't appear as though he will ever provide much power, but as a player who can hit for a high average, score a decent amount of runs and steal 20-plus bases, Inciarte is an asset in virtually all formats.

A.J. Pollock suffered a groin injury and a broken hand in May, which created an opportunity for Inciarte to take over as the Diamondbacks' primary center fielder. Once Pollock returned in September, Inciarte made most of his starts in left field, but he established himself as the tablesetter of the Diamondbacks' injury-depleted lineup, and he was in the starting lineup as the team's leadoff hitter every day from July 31 through the end of the season. The numbers improved over the course of the year, as Inciarte hit .306/.352/.417 with a 12.9% strikeout rate in 63 games after the All-Star break. With 19 steals in 22 attempts last season and consecutive seasons with 40-plus steals in the minors in 2012-13, Inciarte could prove to be a cheap source of speed. He was much more productive at Chase Field (.315/.360/.416) than on the road (.244/.280/.308), leaving some question as to his true talent level, but Inciarte's defense alone may enable him to compete for a platoon role in 2015, though it's also possible the team's addition of Yasmany Tomas in the offseason could relegate him to the bench for most of the year.

The Phillies selected Inciarte from Arizona with the 15th pick in the Rule 5 draft this winter. He's never played above A-ball, so it is unlikely his bat is ready for the majors. The Phillies do like Inciarte's defensive ability in the outfield however, and could opt to keep him on their roster as a defensive replacement and pinch runner.