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The Rays outfield is looking better since July, and we can thank Mallex Smith

Think back to the eve of the 2018 season. Just before Opening Day. The Rays surprised most of us by trading away, in short order, (Corey Dickerson - 120 OPS+) and right fielder (Steven Souza - 121 OPS+). Who would be playing corner outfield? They were looking at Carlos Gomez (32 years old and not a consistent, everyday contributor since 2014) and Mallex Smith (153 career games with an OPS+ of just 86) as the two replacements.

Outfield of Pain

Flash-forward to early June. Kevin Kiermaier had been on the disabled list for over a month, Mallex Smith had an OPS below .