Ozhaino Albies

Ozzie Albies
Atlanta Braves
Shortstop/Second Baseman
Born: (1997-01-07) January 7, 1997
Willemstad, Curaçao
Bats: Switch Throws: Right

Ozhaino Jurdy Jiandro "Ozzie" Albies (born January 7, 1997) is professional baseball shortstop in the Atlanta Braves organization.

Albies started playing baseball at the age of six, and began switch hitting in 2013.[1] Discovered by the Curaçao-based scout Bargello Lodowica,[2] Albies was signed by the Atlanta Braves for $350,000 as an international free agent on July 2, 2013.[3][4] Influencing his decision to sign was the Braves' connection to Andruw Jones and Andrelton Simmons, both, like Albies, natives of Curaçao.[5] He made his professional debut in 2014 with the Gulf Coast Braves and joined the Danville Braves in July.[6] In 57 games, Albies hit .364/.446/.444 with a home run.[7] After the season he was ranked among the top 100 prospects in baseball by Keith Law,[8][9] and fifth-best in Braves farm system by Baseball America.[10] Albies started 2015 with the Rome Braves.[11] In July, he was named to the All Star Futures Game.[12][13] He was the only Braves prospect to appear in the game that year, as well as the youngest player on the field.[14][15] Albies went 1-2 in the game, which the Word Team lost to the U.S. 10-1.[16] He fractured his right thumb during the first week of August and missed the remainder of the season.[17] In 98 games, Albies hit .310/.368/.404 and stole 29 bases.[18] MLB.com placed him third on the list of top Braves prospects at the end of 2015, and 30th overall throughout the minors.[19]

He was invited to spring training in 2016, and opened the season with the Double A Mississippi Braves.[20] After 22 appearances with Mississippi, Albies hit .369/.442/.512 and was promoted to the Triple A Gwinnett Braves on April 30.[21] In two months with Gwinnett, Albies hit .248/.307/.351. On June 30, he returned to Mississippi, playing second base alongside shortstop Dansby Swanson.[22][23] Upon Swanson's promotion to the major leagues, Albies remained in Mississippi, having hit for a .292 batting average and a .778 OPS between the Double A and Triple A levels. Mississippi made the Southern League playoffs, but Albies injured his right elbow in the first postseason game and sat out the remainder of the season.[24]

References

  1. ↑ O'Hara, Jim (May 15, 2015). "Feature on Ozzie Albies". MILB.com. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  2. ↑ Waldstein, David (March 13, 2016). "Braves Again Look to Curaçao and Find Another Top Prospect". New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  3. ↑ Walton, Carroll Rogers (June 19, 2015). "Albies gives Braves another top prospect from Curacao". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  4. ↑ McDaniel, Kiley (January 29, 2015). "Evaluating the Prospects: Atlanta Braves". Fangraphs. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  5. ↑ Dillard, Zach (December 17, 2015). "Touted Braves prospect Ozhaino Albies open to position change". Fox Sports. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  6. ↑ Johnson, Matthew (July 21, 2014). "Danville Takes Second Game After Dropping First To Astros". MILB.com. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  7. ↑ O'Brien, David. "Atlanta Braves prospects list shuffled by multiple trades". Albany Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Peraza leads 6 Braves prospects in ESPN's Top 100". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  9. ↑ Law, Keith (January 29, 2015). "Top 100 prospects (Nos. 1-50)". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ O'Brien, David (June 25, 2015). "Braves have another potential standout shortstop from Curacao". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  11. ↑ Lee, David (April 18, 2015). "Rome Braves teen Albies turns heads with shortstop play". Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  12. ↑ Bowman, Mark (June 25, 2015). "Prospect Albies headed to Futures Game". MLB.com. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Braves prospect compared to Simmons, Ozhaino Albies, to play in Futures Game". Fox Sports. June 25, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  14. ↑ Lee, David (July 11, 2015). "Albies to represent Braves in Futures Game". Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  15. ↑ Cunningham, Michael (July 12, 2015). "Braves prospect Albies shines with future stars". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  16. ↑ Bondy, Robert (July 2015). "Albies showcases talents at Futures Game". MLB.com. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  17. ↑ Collazo, Carlos (August 2015). "Braves top prospect Albies to miss rest of season". MLB.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  18. ↑ Bowman, Mark (March 4, 2016). "Phenom Albies becoming 'the talk of the coaching staff'". MLB.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  19. ↑ Bowman, Mark (December 17, 2015). "Albies next Braves star to hail from Curacao?". MLB.com. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  20. ↑ Dykstra, Sam (April 4, 2016). "Braves Prospect Primer: Rebuild rolls on". MILB.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  21. ↑ Bowman, Mark (April 30, 2016). "Braves' top prospects climbing through system". MLB.com. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  22. ↑ Bowman, Mark (June 30, 2016). "Albies moved to Double-A to play next to Swanson". MLB.com. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  23. ↑ O'Brien, David (July 1, 2016). "Swanson, Albies together now in Braves' Double-A infield". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  24. ↑ Bowman, Mark (September 8, 2016). "Braves prospect Albies injures right elbow". MLB.com. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
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