Mallex Smith Finding Steals Despite Early Slump
6 years agoSeattle Mariners center fielder Mallex Smith stole his eighth base of the season Tuesday night as he finished the night 0-for-3 with a walk. The speedster is doing what fantasy owners had anticipated for him, as his steal total now ties him for second in the league as he sits one behind Tim Anderson. The bad news is that Smith is currently on an 0-for-14 skid, and he's batting a lousy .188 on the season. The M's have moved him down to the bottom of the order in his last two starts as they try to wake up his bat and minimize his ghastly 29.9 percent strikeout rate. Smith batted .296 a year ago, but he hasn't looked like that player so far in 2019. Expect the steals to remain high, but hoping for an average that will flirt in the .300 range this season might be optimistic as it stands right now.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com