The Atlanta Braves were lucky to get an all-time steal in the international and extension market with Ozzie Albies, setting up the second base position for them for years. Beyond him the system looks weak, with few true second baseman that could go on to big league success. There are a few interesting utility players who the Braves hope continue to hit enough to get to Atlanta.
40-Man Roster Outlook
In the near future the Braves are locked in at the second base position with Ozzie Albies, and given his durability early in his career there isn’t much reason to be concerned over his long term future. Albies has played 148 or more games in five of the six seasons he was up for a full 162 game schedule, and with three all star appearances under his belt and a contract that will likely run through 2027 the Braves have no real need to invest much in the second base position. Barring a catastrophic injury or unimaginable regression Albies will have his $7,000,000 team options for 2026 and 2027 picked up and continue to be a key contributor to Atlanta’s offense. The only concern was his extreme downturn in defense in 2023, but the Braves will hope that is only a blip on the radar for him. Luis Guillorme will be the only backup infielder on the roster though I doubt he would be a solution for the Braves should Albies go down with a longer term injury. Guillorme can certainly fill in over a short span and outside of last season has been a serviceable nine-hole hitter and defender at second base throughout his career.
Top Prospects
Second base is a weak point for the Braves system, but that’s not necessarily unique to the Braves organization. For the most, as in Albies’s case, teams will develop their eventual second basemen as shortstops and only move them off of the position when their arm proves they cannot handle that position. None of the Braves better shortstop prospects are particularly lacking in arm strength, and should a replacement for Ozzie be needed from within the system it would likely be a shift of necessity at the major league level rather than one of necessity in talent. The Braves have a handful of second base prospects, but most project to bench roles at the major league level. The best of these is Luke Waddell, who likely will be seeing time on Atlanta’s bench in the coming years assuming he isn’t used in trades. Waddell has a fantastic hit tool and has more walks than strikeouts in his minor league career, though his defensive ceiling is low and he lacks the power to be an impact major leaguer. Geraldo Quintero is similarly limited as a defender due to his arm and also lacks power, but he has more foot speed than Waddell and if he can clean up his defensive actions could be a solid defender at second base. He hasn’t shown the hit tool that Waddell has, though he is only 21. A favorite of mine is Keshawn Ogans, the Braves 2022 20th round pick, who at age 21 went to High-A Rome and put up a strong campaign. Ogans is the best defender of this group and could stick at shortstop, likely settling in to a utility role in the future. Ogans has more power than the two players mentioned before and hit well last season, though his power is still below average.
The remaining trio of notable prospects all have significant hit tool questions though higher ceilings than those above. EJ Exposito could stick at shortstop and has more raw power than the above player, but struck out over 30% of the time as a 22 year old in Single-A. Cade Bunnell has played a bit of every position though isn’t really athletic enough for shorstop, and he takes the hit tool deficit to an extreme. Bunnell draws a lot of walks, and can hit for power with 24 home runs in 156 Double-A games, but his lowest strikeout rate at a full season level is the 35.2% mark he put up in Single-A. The most intriguing of the group is Cal Conley, who at various times has shown the ability to hit and to hit for power, but he has struggled to put both together and his approach is detrimental to his success. He has the hit tool to overcome some of his mistakes, but he swings at bad pitches far too often and has seen his contact quality drop off significantly at the Double-A level. Conley is athletic enough to play up the middle, but he is too sloppy with his glove work and arm to project well in the infield. Notably he does make fewer mistakes with the shorter throws from second base, and he has major league potential with his raw hitting ability should his swing decisions see a drastic improvement. .
2023 Draftees
The Braves drafted one second baseman in 2023 and he didn’t sign. Among the other infielders drafted Sabin Ceballos doesn’t have the athleticism necessary to play second base. 18th round pick Cam Magee does have the athleticism for second base, but given his lack of hitting ability would need to stick at shortstop to have major league value. Will Verdung was drafted as a third baseman, but played second base in all 33 games in his professional debut which is certainly an intriguing pickup. Verdung is big and his athleticism will be tested at second base, but he has raw power and hit well at the Junior College level, which at the very least makes him one of the most intriguing second basemen in the system.
