The Chain
Ozzie Albies had a terrific first half of the season, nearly winning the fan vote for the starting second baseman for the All-Star game, and still making it on as a reserve. He hit for over 20 home runs (which I certainly did not expect), played great defense, and was a terror on the base paths.
However, the second half was not nearly as kind to him. He hit only hit .226 with 4 home runs, compared to .281 with 20 homers in the first half. I think his best baseball is still ahead of him, and hopefully, once it’s arbitration time he will get what he deserves. Our own Benjamin Chase had a good report on Albies’ pro comparison all the way back in 2017.
More from Tomahawk Take
- Show the bullpen some love
- Braves News: Atlanta’s left field situation, Dansby negotiations, more
- Alex Anthopoulos discusses the Atlanta Braves payroll, rotation, Grissom, Swanson, Acuña, and more
- Braves News: Braves 2023 rotation speculation, Correa deal on hold, more
- Atlanta Braves: Current Left Field Mix
"“However, two of those three mentioned players have a legit comp in the Braves system, and the Altuve/Albies comp has been one that has been made among scouts who have seen both since Albies burst on the scene with his play in Rome in 2015. Now that Albies has shifted to second base, the comparison seems even more apt as well. While Altuve has seen a power spike that I don’t foresee in Albies’ future, if you take his 2012-2015 averages, that’s not a crazy thought for Albies: .308/.347/.420, 38 doubles, 3 triples, 8 HR, 40 SB, 35/70 BB/K.”"
Since Altuve never went to arbitration, there’s no direct comp for the salaries. He signed a 4 year, 12.5 million dollar extension in 2013 to avoid it. So if we extrapolate that to a $3.125 million salary, we can have a rough comparison.
I don’t think Ozzie will make that much the first year of arbitration. My prediction would be $1.5 Million dollars.
Ozzie Albies is too smooth
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 13, 2018
via @Braves pic.twitter.com/V1EnjqVR2W
These are only a few of the important young players who will shape the future in Atlanta. Obviously, I’m looking a bit far into the future, but eventually, these young stars will have to be paid. Hopefully, the Atlanta Braves will be able to retain them in the years to come and avoid another teardown like the disastrous years of 2014-2017.