Ozzie Albies is one of the most popular names on the Atlanta Braves, and for good reason. He has an extremely likable personality and always seems to enjoy his time on a baseball diamond.
Like most of Atlanta's offense in 2023, Albies had an incredible season. He slashed .280/.336/.513 with 30 doubles, five triples, 33 home runs, 109 RBI, and a .849 OPS. ALbies earned an All-Star selection for his incredible performance.
Unfortunately, he suffered the same fate as many of his teammates in 2024, with an underperforming season plagued by injuries. Albies was injured trying to tag out Cardinals outfielder Michael Siani on a throw down to second base. Siani collided with Ozzie's left wrist, and X-rays confirmed a fracture.
This caused Albies to miss multiple months and put the Braves in a bind. They tried out Nacho Alvarez Jr. at second with little success, but Whit Merrifield did a great job filling Albies' shoes once he landed with Atlanta.
Ozzie was out of the lineup until mid-September, and once he returned, Atlanta found itself in the midst of an intense race for the playoffs. It was wonderful to see him back on the field, but Albies wasn't the same at the plate.
His swing from the left side caused discomfort, and he was unable to utilize his switch-hitting ability. Ozzie batted solely as a righty, and despite this being arguably his best side to bat from, he didn't always do so against right-handed pitching.
Fans had to temper their expectations as their second baseman returned to being comfortable in the batter's box. His first-half numbers were respectable as he batted .258 with 27 doubles, eight home runs, eight stolen bases, and 44 RBI.
However, in the second half, he batted just .200 through 12 games with two doubles, two homers, and nine RBI. This certainly wasn't encouraging, and it followed him into the Wild Card series against the Padres.
OZZIE. ALBIES.
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2024
The @Braves retake the lead! pic.twitter.com/9EPIirVDiX
There wasn't a lot of hope for the Wild Card series being played away from Truist Park as Albies struggled the most on the road, indicated by his .216 average through 50 games in 2024. Through 49 games in Atlanta, Albies batted .287 with four home runs, 27 RBI, and a 117 OPS+.
His season wasn't all bad when you look further than his overall stats. Metric-wise, Albies continued to excel with his strikeout (14.9%), whiff (20.5%), and squared-up (26.6%) percentages. However, his walk percentage (6.2%) decreased slightly, as did his OAA (-2) and arm strength. Albies is usually pretty dependable defensively, but it was suspect all of 2024.
The 2025 season could be his last in a Braves uniform. Ozzie is set to make $7 million this season and has club options for 2026 and 2027 worth the same amount. The team could look to upgrade the position, but $7 million is a steal if Albies can find the success he had in 2023. However, that remains to be seen, and his left wrist could impede his ability to hit well from both sides. The decrease in defensive range and arm strength is a factor to consider.