Braves, Ender Inciarte agree to 5-year extension
Ender Inciarte is now officially a building block.
The Gold Glove center fielder agreed to a five-year, $30.525 million extension with the Atlanta Braves, the team announced on Friday morning. The extension also comes with a sixth-year club option, potentially tying up Inciarte through the 2022 campaign.
This is the first major extension general manager John Coppolella and president of baseball operations John Hart have finalized since the start of the franchise's rebuild in November 2014.
https://twitter.com/Enderdavid18/status/812312365643526144
"We are thrilled to announce an extension for Ender," Coppolella said in a statement. "We feel that he's the best defensive center fielder in baseball and one of the best leadoff hitters in the game. Ender brings so much to our club, on and off the field, and we are happy to have him under club control for at least the next six years."
Inciarte, 26, enjoyed the best season of his young career after joining the Braves in the Shelby Miller blockbuster.
https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/812305388158722050
Aside from winning his first career Gold Glove, the Venezuela native posted 3.6 wins above replacement (16th among MLB outfielders) in 131 games played.
After a slow first half at the plate, Inciarte rattled off a 19-game hit streak and finished batting .291/.351/.381 with three home runs and 16 steals.
In signing Inciarte long-term, the Braves avoid his arbitration-eligible years and, if the option is picked up for the 2022 season, add an extra two years of club control.
https://soundcloud.com/foxsportssouthchopcast/chopcast-braves-top-prospects-2017
