Let's celebrate Ender Inciarte's extension with his best highlight-reel defensive plays from 2016
On Friday, Braves fans got an early Christmas present with center fielder and 2016 Gold Glove winner Ender Inciarte agreeing to a five-year contract extension. Although it's more than a little disingenuous to say that Inciarte is a glove-only outfielder -- he is a perennial threat to post a .300 average and steal 20-plus bags, after all -- there's no denying that his defensive prowess is a big part of what makes him such a compelling baseball player.
Let's celebrate Inciarte's new contract with a look back at some of his most jaw-dropping defensive plays from the past season:
On June 29, he ran 100 feet to track down a fly ball off the bat of Cleveland's
But Inciarte isn't just a threat with the leather, he's also capable of doubling off unsuspecting baserunners as the Reds'
Inciarte can dive all-out with the best of them.
But even more impressive was the incredible diving play he made while running with his back to the infield in the second game of the season. You can hardly blame
As if all that weren't enough, Inciarte has the wherewithal to successfully pull off a deke play.
It was Inciarte's incredible game-saving grab on Sept. 21, though, that captivated the baseball world. With two runners on, two outs and the Mets trailing the Braves, 4-3, Yoenis Cepedes hit a ball with the distance to be a walk-off home run ... only to be denied by a tremendous over-the-wall effort by Inciarte:
That play was among the five to be nominated for the Esurance Defensive Play of the Year.
Undoubtedly, the highlight-reel defense component of Ender's game helped convince the Braves to keep him around for years to come.
