House That Hank Built
Fansided

A Healthy Ozzie Albies the Answer at Second for 2017 Atlanta Braves

By Blake Silvers

Mar 7, 2016; Dunedin, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Ozzie Albies (87) smiles as he works out prior to the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2016; Dunedin, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Ozzie Albies (87) smiles as he works out prior to the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

While shortstop Dansby Swanson made the most of his mid-August call up to the big leagues, his second base sidekick Ozzie Albies was busy winning the Southern League batting title at double-A Mississippi.

The Atlanta Braves second base position was somewhat of a platoon situation for nearly the entire 2016 season, with Jace Peterson sharing time with Kelly Johnson and Gordon Beckham. All three of those players were solid enough in the field, and had bursts of production at the plate, but with the rebuild wrapping up, the Braves front office is likely looking for a long-term solution. A healthy Ozzie Albies is the answer.

A second baseman doesn’t always have to hit for power, or even a high average to help a good baseball team into the playoffs, but when an organization can find a bit more consistent production at any position, it certainly helps take the pressure off the rest of the lineup. For the Braves, a healthy Ozzie Albies could become a nice addition to help get Atlanta over the hump in becoming a more consistently productive team, offensively.

Continuing Atlanta’s success at finding and developing talent from the island of Curacao, the Braves signed Albies at the age of 16 in the summer of 2013. He immediately found success in rookie ball, hitting .364/.446/.444 between the Gulf Coast Braves and Danville. Albies spent the full 2015 season at low-A Rome, batting .310/.368/.404 in the South Atlantic League.

More from Tomahawk Take

After an impressive spring training, the teenager started the 2016 season at Double-A Mississippi and  after 22 games, he worked his way up to Triple-A Gwinnett.  Albies played with the G-Braves for 56 games, and was only “demoted” to double-A to get playing time across from Dansby Swanson at Mississippi down the stretch. Swanson hit .302 in 129 at bats for Atlanta and kept his rookie tag for 2017, while Ozzie Albies won a batting title at double-A, but fractured his elbow in the Southern League playoffs.

Albies’ combined stats from Gwinnett and Mississipi saw him hit .292/.358/.420, while pumping out 161 total hits and 83 runs.

The Braves think Albies can resume baseball activities as early as January after undergoing surgery, which is a near perfect timeline in the game of professional baseball. If his rehab stays on schedule, it could put a 20-year-old Ozzie Albies perfectly back on track for a 2017 big league debut, and more likely an opening day start at second base.

Next: What to Do With Mallex??

If Albies can continue to translate his productive plate numbers and impressive field play next spring, there’s no doubt that he is the answer to Atlanta’s long-term needs at second base.

Home/Braves News