Focal Point for Atlanta Braves Prospects, pt. 1

Ozzie Albies

Between AA and AAA, Albies had a very productive year on the farm. He sported a triple slash-line of .292/.358/.420.  He’s growing, getting stronger and his power is coming.

At 2nd base, his athleticism should put him in an elite defensive category and I wouldn’t be surprised to see multiple gold gloves from him. Fangraphs Eric Longenhagen did a piece on the Braves Top 32 prospects and had this to say about Albies:

"“Albies has arguably the best bat control in prospectdom, spraying hard contact to all fields, spoiling tough pitches and grinding out at-bats. He also has exceptional hand-eye coordination and makes natural adjustments to breaking balls in mid-flight. I was not at all discouraged by Albies’ lackluster showing in his few weeks at Triple-A. In fact, I find it encouraging that a 19-year-old (just a few months older than Yankees 2016 first-rounder Blake Rutherford) was able to carry such favorable peripherals to the precipice of the major leagues.”"

What needs to step forward? There’s nothing holding back this young stud from reaching the Majors other than health. It’s a scary thing when a top prospect gets injured, but it’s even scarier  when it’s a break that happens on such a routine part of baseball.

If Albies can prove healthy and that this injury was merely fluke, he’ll be spraying baseballs all over Suntrust field in no time.