RADIO
Ozzie Albies 2021 Outlook: Overpriced Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None
4 years agoAtlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies had a disappointing 2020 season, slashing .271/.306/.466 with six homers and three stolen bases while dealing with a right wrist bone bruise that cost him a month. His 30.96 ADP suggests that gamers are willing to give the 24-year-old a pass, but is that wise? His plate discipline cratered, with a K% spike to 24.2 while his BB% declined to 4%. His career-worst 13.3 SwStr% suggests that the higher strikeouts could continue moving forward. His expected batting average was just .240 last year as well. Albies's average exit velocity on airborne balls was virtually unchanged from 2019 (91.2 mph vs. 91.4), ranking below-average. His FB% increased to 44.8 (36.6 in 2019), but it came at the expense of line drives (25.5 to 13.8). As such, he's not hitting the quality or quantity of fly balls for a power surge. Albies has never stolen 20 bases in an MLB season and saw his Statcast Sprint Speed decline by half a tick last year (28.1 ft./sec vs. 28.6 in 2019). The Braves hit Albies in every lineup spot save third in 2020, so he doesn't have a guaranteed role to inflate his counting stats. Albies just doesn't do enough of anything to justify his current price tag.
