ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 15: Second baseman Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves throws to first base in the ninth inning during the game against the New York Mets at SunTrust Park on September 15, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
2.) Ozzie Albies
The Braves have no rhyme or reason to get rid of Ozzie Albies. The future of the second base position in Atlanta lies with Albies, not with Camargo or Culberson.
With some help from Ron Washington, Albies improved his defense. Albies also showed quite some pop with his bat as well. With his 5’9, 160lb frame, it’s a shock that he managed to smack 6 home runs in two months of playing in the bigs. But what is even more shocking is that those home runs were not short home runs by any stretch of the imagination. According to ESPN’s Home Run tracker, here are the distances of each home run hit by Albies in 2017:
- 1). 08/03/17 – 403ft vs Los Angeles Dodgers
- 2). 8/11/17 – 406ft vs St. Luis Cardinals
- 3). 9/12/17 – 394ft vs. Washington Nationals
- 4). 9/14/17 – 390ft vs. Washington Nationals
- 5). 9/24/17 – 373ft vs. New York Mets
- 6). 9/29/17 – 397ft vs. Miami Marlins
The little kid has got some big time pop, which should do nothing but get bigger. The youngster also has some big time speed after snagging 8 bases and getting caught once in a 2-month span last year.
After keeping up with his social media in the off season, and as some of you may have seen in a recent post by Jeff Schafer here on Tomahawk Take, Albies has been putting on a bit more weight and muscle, so perhaps his power and speed might even increase in 2018.