There are few positions on the roster that the Braves don’t have an elite player at, evident in the team’s overwhelming presence on MLB Network’s Top 10 lists. Austin Riley was the third ranked third baseman, Matt Olson just missed out on top 5 honors, Michael Harris went from prospect to a top 5 center fielder in one year, and Ronald Acuna Jr. slipped but remained in the top 5. However, Ozzie Albies wasn’t included in this year’s list.
SECOND BASEMEN
1. Jose Altuve, HOU (Last year: 4)
2. Jeff McNeil, NYM (9)
3. Andrés Giménez, CLE (Not ranked)
4. Marcus Semien, TEX (2)
5. Brandon Lowe, TB (3)
6. Jorge Polanco, MIN (7)
7. Brendan Donovan, STL (NR)
8. Ketel Marte, ARI (1)
9. Kolten Wong, SEA (NR)
10. Gleyber Torres, NYY (NR)
This was a player who was ranked as the 57th-best player in all of baseball last season by MLB Network. However, Albies only appeared in 64 games in 2022. The energetic youngster played in the team’s first 62 games, then suffered a broken foot, which took nearly three months to rehab. And unfortunately, he would suffer another devastating injury, breaking his pinky in his second game back, ending his season. So, it’s no surprise he was snubbed. He hardly played, and when he did, it wasn’t the usual Ozzie Albies.
In the 64 games Albies played, he posted a .703 OPS and 93 WRC+ — both very poor numbers by his standards. Compare those to his career averages, and it’s evident he wasn’t the player Braves Country had grown to love. Since becoming a full-time starter, Albies has slashed .272/.322/.479 with an .801 OPS while averaging 21 home runs and 71 RBIs per season from 2018-21, all while providing plus defense and base running — that’s a top 10 player at his position.
Braves fans shouldn’t have a gripe with this list; Albies didn’t play much or well when he did. And if Albies wants some more motivation, FanGraphs believes his bounce back campaign won’t be that at all. The Braves’ fun-loving Ozzie Albies is projected to accumulate 3.2 WAR, which would be the 7th-most among all second basemen and is quite the conservative projection.
As a full-time starter from 2018-21, Ozzie Albies has averaged nearly 4.0 fWAR every single season. If he’s healthy, Braves Country can expect him to be back on this list next year. He’s easily a top 10 player at his position — one of two second basemen in history with at least 40 doubles, 30 home runs, 100 RBIs, 100 runs, and 20 stolen bases in a single season.
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David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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