Born on January 7, 1997, Ozhaino Jurdy Jiandro “Ozzie” Albies is a Curaçaoan professional baseball player who plays second base for the Major League Baseball (MLB) Atlanta Braves. Albies joined the Braves organisation in 2013, and in 2017 he made his Major League Baseball debut. Albies was selected for the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star Game during his rookie season. Afterwards, Albies was selected on the All-Star teams in 2021 and 2023. In 2019 and 2021, he took home the National League Silver Slugger Award for second baseman. He received the Heart & Hustle Award in 2021.
Albies began playing switch hitting in 2013 after taking up the sport at the age of six.[1][2] Found by scout Dargello Lodowica of Curaçao,[3] On July 2, 2013, Albies signed a $350,000 contract as an international free agent with the Atlanta Braves.[4][5] The Braves’ relationship with Andruw Jones and Andrelton Simmons—both of whom, like Albies, are natives of Curaçao—influenced his choice to sign.[6] In July of 2014, he signed a contract with the Danville Braves after making his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Braves.[7] Albies hit.364/.446/.444 with a home run in 57 games.[8] Following the season, Baseball America rated him fifth in the Braves farm system and Keith Law included him among the top 100 prospects in baseball[9][10].[11]
Albies joined the Rome Braves to start the 2015 campaign.[12] He was selected for the All Star Futures Game in July.[13][14] He was the youngest player on the field and the only Braves prospect to play in the game that year.[15]Albies finished the game with a 1-2 record, and the World Team fell 10-1 to the United States.[17] He missed the rest of the season after breaking his right thumb in the first week of August.[18] Albies stole 29 bases in 98 games, hit.310/.368/.404, and made 17 mistakes.[19][20] He was ranked third by MLB.com at the end of 2015 and thirty-one overall in the minor leagues among the Braves’ top prospects.[21]
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