Verdict is Still Out on Braves All-Star Ozzie Albies

It's spring training. It's hard to properly judge where a player stands. That being said, the Atlanta Braves need to keep an eye on second baseman Ozzie Albies.

The hope of the team is to see him continue the turnaround he experienced toward the end of last season. However, it's not looking promising out of the gate. Evaluating his spring should be complex, but the numbers are consistent regardless of the environment he's in.

In spring training, split in two by the World Baseball Classic, he's batting .227 with a .591 OPS, three extra-base hits and six RBIs. On Wednesday, he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. During his time down in Miami, his stats weren't much better. He batted .200 with a .650 OPS. He had the standout moment with the walk-off home run against Nicaragua. While it was an unforgettable moment, that was it.

That was supposed to be the environment that helped him lock in, and he still looked anemic at the plate. While others stepping up would ease the blow of another slow year from Albies, his performance will play a role, regardless.

Perhaps if he had stayed healthy all the way to the end of the season, things could have been more auspicious for him. Then, he hurt his wrist again. It took a long time for him to find his footing after the wrist injury he suffered during the 2024 season. He could be in for that same turnaround time.

What also could matter is that this time, his injury came much later. The verdict is still out on when he'll start to overcome this injury and find his consistency. Maybe it comes sooner. Maybe it won't come quickly enough.

Other stars on the team, such as Austin Riley or Spencer Strider, have contracts that give them the time. They're locked up until the end of this decade or later. Albies only has one more club option. No one needs a bounce back more than he does.

Last year, Albies finished, overall, with a .240 average, with a .671 OPS, 16 home runs and 74 RBIs. Over the last month of the season, he truly looked like his old self. For his sake, you hope it can be found again.

At least he has his goals. For example, he implied that he wants to set career highs for stolen bases. That will take some other parts of his game going in the right direction.

He's going to get his chances. It would have to be that dire to see someone else at second base when he's healthy. Don't expect him to be cut or anything either. He's making $7 million this year. He'll get his full chance. For that reason, the verdict is still out on Albies. It's just not on the track toward the verdict most would want it to be.

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