Braves' Brian Snitker makes Ozzie Albies announcement amid early struggles

Jon Conahan

Braves' Brian Snitker makes Ozzie Albies announcement amid early struggles image

Things always figure themselves out for some of the top teams they Major League Baseball, and that looks like it’ll be said for the Atlanta Braves, who just took a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend. 

Beating a very good Diamondbacks team in two of three, the Braves have to feel confident heading into their series against the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.

However, things haven't been all sunshine and rainbows for the Braves throughout the past few years, and some of their players, whether they've dealt with injuries, bad play, or both, are starting to feel it a bit.

That could be said for Ozzie Albies, the three-time All-Star second baseman who has dealt with injuries and hasn't played well to start the year. 

Albies, only 28 years old, is a very good player, and his rough start in these 27 games doesn't mean too much. However, his .229 batting average and 85 OPS+ don’t leave much to write home about, and skipper Brian Snitker urged fans and Albies to understand that this is just a slow start, and he'll figure things out.

“You know what? I hadn’t even thought about that,” Snitker said, per David O’Brien of The Athletic. “If it is (a bad month), then yeah. But we know what (he can do). Oz has had 30 (homers) and 100 (RBIs) before and can have some rough patches and still has a way of coming out of it. Oz is great with hanging with himself.

“He doesn’t put a lot of pressure (on himself), and he has a lot of confidence and understands that this is a seven-month season and he can rattle off two great months and be right where you want him to be.”

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Baseball is truly a game of runs, and for one month, Albies may struggle. However, come May, he might be one of the top second basemen in baseball, just like he's been over the past few years.

Jon Conahan

Jon Conahan is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. A 2022 Penn State University graduate who majored in journalism, he was also a member of the school's D1 baseball team. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Heavy and other outlets. Jon makes home in North Jersey, but also resides in Cape Coral, Florida, for parts of the year. He’s an avid fan of the New York Yankees, Miami Dolphins and Milwaukee Bucks.