Black MLB Players #1: 2B Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies is writing his own chapters in the ever-growing book of Curaçao’s history with professional baseball.
Background + Path To Professional Baseball
Ozhaino “Ozzie” Albies is a 25-year-old second baseman who plays for the Atlanta Braves from Willemstad, Curaçao. Curaçao is a Dutch Caribbean island in the Southern Caribbean Sea.
Albies is trilingual, being able to speak English, Spanish, and Papiamento. Papiamento is a Portuguese creole with African, Dutch, and Spanish influences spoken across the Dutch Caribbean. It has some Arawak elements as well.
Albies signed with the Atlanta Braves organization during the 2013 J2 signing period for $350,000 dollars. The Atlanta Braves organization has a long history of signing prospects from Curaçao. Other major leaguers from Curaçao that were drafted/recruited and played for the Braves include Andruw Jones, Andrelton Simmons, and Jair Jurrjens.
The Braves organization put Albies on a fast track through the minor leagues, and he rolled with the punches at each level, outright skipping High-A and still performing at Double-A.
The second baseman put up a .304/.365/.424 slash line across four MiLB seasons while playing excellent defense and providing top-tier value on the basepaths.
On August 1st, 2017, Albies made his MLB debut at 20 years old. He was the first MLB player born in 1997 to play a game and hit a home run in the majors. He was the second youngest player to play in the majors that year, the only player younger was Victor Robles of the Washington Nationals.
During his first stint in the majors, he put up a .286/.354/.456 slash line in 57 games with nine doubles, five triples, six home runs, and eight stolen bases. He struck out 14.8% of the time, walked at an 8.6% rate, posted a 2.7 BsR, and his wRC+ was 110.
Since becoming the Braves’ full-time second baseman in 2017, Albies is 1st in BsR, 7th in fWAR, 6th in doubles and home runs amongst all qualified second basemen in MLB. He has made two appearances in the MLB All-Star Game and won two Silver Sluggers as well.
Player Profile
Ozzie Albies is 5'8'’, and weighs 165 pounds. He is a switch hitter and throws right-handed. He is a full-time second baseman.
Albies is an aggressive switch-hitter that tries to do damage early in the count. One of the main strengths in his offensive game is his ability to avoid striking out at a high rate, as he has a 17.3% K rate for his career. He combines this with an ability to hit for power, as his Isolate Power(ISO) is fifth amongst all qualified second basemen since 2017. He has hit more than 40 doubles and 20 home runs in the same season three times so far in his career.
His weaknesses are a low walk rate and heavy platoon splits that favor his matchups versus left-handed pitchers. His career slash line versus left-handed pitchers is .328/.357/.562 while his career slash line versus right-handed pitchers is .249/.309/.433.
Albies is one of the fastest players in pro baseball and is able to use his elite athleticism to enhance his offensive and defensive profiles. Since he plays in the National League, Albies plays in a lot of ballparks with spacious outfields where extra-base hits in the gaps give him a chance to turn singles into doubles with a bit of urgency and good instincts, along with triples.
He uses his speed to efficiently steal bases, reaching double digits in his two full seasons in the MLB. He also provides a large amount of value on the basepaths, being able to go from first to third or home, and second to home almost effortlessly. He is first amongst second basemen in BsR since the start of the 2017 season.
BsR definition: https://library.fangraphs.com/offense/bsr/
The Curaçaoan second baseman is one of the best defenders in the MLB at his position, combining elite range, quick hands, and a reliable arm to get sure outs and also steal hits from the opposition on the right side of the infield.
While Albies has yet to win a Gold Glove, he has been amongst leaders at his position for various defensive metrics that measure the effectiveness of defenders and definitely has the ability to win a few during his career. Since the beginning of the 2017 season, Albies is 4th in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), 3rd in Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), and 6th in Outs Above Average amongst qualified second basemen.
Contract
Ozzie Albies is currently signed to a seven-year, $35 million dollar contract with the Atlanta Braves that runs from 2019-2025 and includes two club options for 2026-2027.
Conclusion
Albies profiles as a second baseman with a great all-around game. He puts up above-average numbers at the plate, is a productive baserunner, and consistently plays quality defense at second base. The leader of a homegrown Braves team that is looking to establish itself as a dynasty during the 2020s, the Curaçaoan infielder has the ability to be one of the best at his position for a long time.