Does Erick Aybar Have The Atlanta Braves Shortstop Position Locked Down?

It’s amazing how a month/week/days/hours can change a roster completely.  One month from today (November 12th) we learned that the Atlanta Braves traded superstar shortstop Andrelton Simmons to the LA Angles in exchange for pitcher Sean Newcomb and shortstop Erick Aybar.

A once locked position with Simmons, now has us scratching our heads. Will Aybar fit right in and we won’t have to worry about it for 2016? We’ll soon find out.

For now, let’s look at who the Braves have…currently

• Erick Aybar
• Daniel Castro
• Emilio Bonifacio
• Gordon Beckham

If you look at this position, baring an injury, it is almost a definite that Erick Aybar is the starter. Playing for the Angels in 2015, Aybar had 597 at-bats, compiling 161 hits for a .270 batting average and OBP of .301. He hit three homeruns and had 44 RBI’s, while scoring 74 runs. In the field he had 17 errors and a WAR of 0.6 in 2015.

Just for fun, let’s compare stats to Simmons’ 2015. He had 535 at-bats, scoring 60 runs with 44 RBI’s also and an OBP of .321. Simmons had only 142 hits though, with four homeruns and a batting average of .265. In the field he had eight errors and a WAR of 3.5 in 2015.

Castro is very green, debuting on June 7, 2015. In the short time he has played in the majors in 2015, he had 96 at-bats, with 23 hits and a batting average of .240. He hit two homeruns, scored 14 runs, had five RBI’s and had an OBP of .263.  He’s been struggling in Winter League hitting just .191 in 2015.  If he doesn’t improve in the Winter League and during Spring Training, he’ll be in Gwinnett in 2016.

Both Bonifacio and Beckham will be utility backup players with chances of starting here and there.  Unless another big trade comes along, Aybar will be our shortstop in 2016.

Will Aybar be the flashy playmaking shortstop that Simmons is? Absolutely not.  But he will make the routine plays and should get on base more than Simmons.  I think we’ll be fine at this spot on the field.

One last note, let’s not forget about who we got in return for Shelby Miller.  The number one pick in the 2015 draft, Dansby Swanson from Vanderbilt.  Yes, he’s probably a year or two away but he’ll be fun to watch shortly.

One final note (I swear), another top prospect is getting closer and closer for this position…possibly, I say this because the Braves may move him to second base now that they have Swanson.  He’s Ozzie Albies.  If you don’t know the name, you should get to know it.  At age 18, he hit .310/.368/.404 with 29 steals in Low-A.  He still has to develop in minor league ball, but he’ll be here soon.

2016 will be Aybar barring anything crazy happening…the future? That’s still in question.