Ozzie Albies has been a stalwart of the Atlanta Braves since debuting in 2017. Over the last eight years, he's been one of the more reliable members of the squad, providing above average offense and base running and being servicable with the glove.
But this year, the offense has bottomed out, and Albies has gone from potential Silver Slugger to one of the worst hitters in the league in just a matter of seasons. The expected numbers don't indicate a turnaround is in sight, either.
However, could a simple bat adjustment help turn things around for the switch-hitting second baseman?
A lighter bat might make a world of difference to Ozzie Albies
It's almost coutnerintuitive for one of the league's smallest players to use one of the heavier bats in the league, but that's been the case for Ozzie Albies. Despite checking in at 5'7", Albies is using a bat that is an inch longer and two ounces heavier than his power-hitting superstar teammate, Ronald Acuña Jr.
This bat size, a 34.5-inch, 32.5 ounce bat is more fitting for a player like 6'7" Aaron Judge than it is for a player a foot shorter. However, for years, the results made it difficult to argue that Albies should try anything different.
Unfortunately, this appears to be the season Albies should make a change. Albies has a 72 wRC+ going into to Tuesday, 14th-worst among qualified hitters. He's slashing a career-low .222/.297/.322. If the season were to end today, this would be his lowest SLG of his career by over 80 points.
While the merits of using a heavier bat to produce more power have been proven, these studies also show that bat speed is also a dependent variable. This year, it's clear that the trade-off for power isn't working for Albies, who is currently on pace to finish the season with just 13 homers over the full season.
Right now, Ozzie Albies is swinging one of the slowest bats in baseball. With a bat speed of 68.2 MPH, Albies ranks as the 18th-slowest bat speed in the majors. His bat speed is almost two miles an hour slower than it was in 2023, where he still had a below-average bat speed, but had a great sweet-spot hit percentage.
By swinging a lighter, shorter bat, Albies could hypothetically gain back some of the bat speed he had from a few seasons back. While he would sacrifice some of the power by giving up a heavier bat, he could improve his swing decisions by gaining few extra milliseconds to decide whether to swing or not, and allow him to swing his A+ swing more often.
If Albies isn't able to get right and soon, the club may feel like they have no choice but to move on next offseason.