DUNEDIN, Fla. – The rapid development of 19-year-old shortstop prospect Ozzie Albies has surprised a lot of folks in Braves camp, few of whom expected the shortstop prospect to look this close to major-league ready in his first big-league camp.
Count hitting coach Kevin Seitzer among those impressed by the undersized but wiry infielder.
“Oh, yeah. Very impressed,” Seitzer said. “Amazing, actually. He’s fun to watch. He’s put some (at-bats) together that have been really impressive. The big thing that I saw when he came to camp was how much stronger he was. I asked him what he weighed and he said he put on about nine pounds from last year. And you can tell. Hands are quicker, He’s a pretty exciting little dude to watch, that’s for sure.”
Nine additional pounds would put Albies at about 160. He’s listed at 5 feet 9 but is actually closer to 5-6.
More importantly, he’s 6-for-10 with a homer, four RBIs, two walks and no strikeouts this spring, after batting .310 with a .368 OBP and 29 stolen bases in 98 games last season a low Single-A Rome. The Curacao native – yes, he’s from the same tiny island as former Braves Andruw Jones and Andrelton Simmons – has a .328 batting average and .395 OBP with 40 extra-base hits (11 triples, one homer) and 51 stolen bases in 155 games (678 plate appearances) over two minor league seasons.
“The AB he put on (Sunday), fouling all those pitches off and then lining the single, was really exciting,” Seitzer said. “His recognition has been the big thing that’s impressed me. That guy had a pretty good changeup (Sunday), and he got fooled I think on 0-1, and then he locked in and wasn’t fooled on anything the rest of the at-bat. I mean, he was on, and grinding, and ended up having a long AB and got the hit.
The general consensus entering camp was that 22-year-old shortstop Dansby Swanson might be a year or less from his major league debut, while Albies might need at least a year or two more in the minor leagues. But that view could be changing, regarding Albies. Nobody thinks he’s going to push for a spot on the opening-day roster, but he’s letting Braves officials know he could be ready sooner than expected.
“He’s been fun to watch,” Seitzer said. “I’m excited to see what happens as camp unfolds and we see… maybe he might force somebody’s hand. I don’t know.”
