6/3/15 MINOR FINAL; DSL SCORE; MOVES WEDNESDAY ... Updated Transactions today

Fangraphs scouting report at hte start of the year from their top 200 rankings:

34. Ozhaino Albies, SS, Atlanta Braves
More: Video & Full Report
Hit: 20/55, Raw Power: 30/40, Game Power: 20/35, Run: 65/65, Field: 50/60, Throw: 60/60, FV: 55
Scouting Report: Albies home country Curacao has produced a great recent group of quick-twitch infielders with Andrelton Simmons, Jonathan Schoop and Jurickson Profar, while nearby Aruba has recently produced Xander Bogaerts. Albies is next in line, with some scouts comparing him to a smaller Francisco Lindor or Rafael Furcal with less arm strength. He’s 5-foot-9/150, just turned 18 and has only played one year of short-season ball, but scouts are already tossing 60’s on his hit tool, along with 60 or more on his speed, glove and arm. Feel free to scroll around this list and try to find another example of these kinds of tools; that and universally positive reports are why I’m so bullish on this kid. Power isn’t a big part of game and likely will never be, but he does everything else so well at such a young age, that no one seems to care. He has excellent feel for the strike zone and the bat head, plenty of bat speed, knowledge of when to use his gap power and when to keep the ball on the ground; his full-season debut in 2015 is arguably the most anticipated in baseball.

Like I said, both the scouties and statties love this guy. I think Altuve's success probably gives Albies a bounce as well. Kid can play.
 
Braves prospect OF Braxton Davidson went 1-for-2 with a double, two RBI and three walks on Wednesday for Low-A Rome.

Davidson is enjoying a solid full-season debut in the South Atlantic League, batting .245/.386/.362 with 11 extra-base hits and 16 RBI through 50 games. The 18-year-old already has four home runs this season, which is an encouraging sign considering he failed to jump the yard in 50 games last summer. Meanwhile, Davidson’s plate discipline has translated nicely at the more advanced level, with a 56/37 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 202 plate appearances.

Braves prospect SS Ozhaino Albies reached base five times on Wednesday, going 4-for-4 with four singles and a walk for Low-A Rome.

The four-hit performance extended Albies’ hitting streak to 10 games, and he’s batting .462/.543/.590 in 46 plate appearances in that span. The 18-year-old switch-hitter is having a fine full-season debut, with a .313/.379/.393 batting line, seven doubles, five triples and 20 stolen bases in 52 games. Albies currently leads the South Atlantic League with 66 hits, and he’s also shown an advanced eye at the plate with a 28/21 strikeout-to-walk ratio. There is a lot of promising young middle infielders in the low minors this year, but Albies is among the best and most projectable.

Just a few blurbs on our guys from Rotoworld.
 
I think its highly possible that there is a buzz for Albies to be on the 2017 roster at some point in time. He will be at Rome all year. But next year could be a split year between Carolina and Mississippi. If he performs well at both levels then there may be some desire from the front office to energize the fanbase with a potential future star....as long as he is ready.
 
Since several have used Altuve as a comparison, here are the numbers Altuve put up in a full season in A-ball in 2010:

.310/.366/.448; 7.6%/11.3% BB/K rates; 11 HR, 15 2B, 3 3B in 393 ABs; 39/53 SB success rate in 94 games.

And here are Albies' numbers so far:

.313/.379/.393; 8.9%/11.8% BB/K rates; 0 HR, 7 2B, 5 3B in 211 ABs (projected for 0 HR, 13 2B, 9 3B over 393 Bs); 20/26 SB success rate in 52 games (projected for 36/47 over 94 games)

The big difference here is that Altuve was 20 for basically his whole season in 2010, where Albies will be 18 this entire season. So Albies is putting up very similar numbers (slightly more patience, decent gap in power) despite being 2 years younger. The Astros brought Altuve along very slowly; he had success in 08 and 09 but stayed in rookie ball most of both years for whatever reason.

This doesn't mean anything, but it's interesting. I doubt Albies develops quite the power Altuve has, but I think he has a good chance to hit better and get on base more. I also think he has a little more speed.
 
Since several have used Altuve as a comparison, here are the numbers Altuve put up in a full season in A-ball in 2010:
.310/.366/.448; 7.6%/11.3% BB/K rates; 11 HR, 15 2B, 3 3B in 393 ABs; 39/53 SB success rate in 94 games.

And here are Albies' numbers so far:
.313/.379/.393; 8.9%/11.8% BB/K rates; 0 HR, 7 2B, 5 3B in 211 ABs (projected for 0 HR, 13 2B, 9 3B over 393 Bs); 20/26 SB success rate in 52 games (projected for 36/47 over 94 games)

The big difference here is that Altuve was 20 for basically his whole season in 2010, where Albies will be 18 this entire season. So Albies is putting up very similar numbers (slightly more patience, decent gap in power) despite being 2 years younger. The Astros brought Altuve along very slowly; he had success in 08 and 09 but stayed in rookie ball most of both years for whatever reason.

This doesn't mean anything, but it's interesting. I doubt Albies develops quite the power Altuve has, but I think he has a good chance to hit better and get on base more. I also think he has a little more speed.

His bb/k numbers are crazy impressive for someone of his age.
 
I get the comparison of Altuve based on their size, but the big selling point is he's going to stick at SS. He will be a way more valuable prospect than Altuve ever was based on that alone.
 
I get the comparison of Altuve based on their size, but the big selling point is he's going to stick at SS. He will be a way more valuable prospect than Altuve ever was based on that alone.
If you haven't gotten to see him...wait until you do. Once I got past the "kid looks like a 1st grader" thought, it was awesome. He's got range too. IF he had the arm of Simmons...puhleeze! As is, he's an exciting prospect. I read this back in September of last year from BA: ay (Texas): How good is Albies?
Clint Longenecker: He has a chance to be very good, if not dynamic. I dont want to get carried away, but various managers and scouts who covered the league comped him to three different players and every one was a perennial all-star during his prime. We need to let the developmental process play out but his rare bat-to-ball skills and feel for the zone are so advanced for a player his age. Comparing his contact rates with some of the best international players over the last decade made at the same age clarified his talent for me. Evaluators who saw the league came away raving about Albies. He could be a true two-way shortstop.
 
I would still rate Wisler/Peraza higher than Albies but that has a lot to do with proximity to the majors. AAA to low A is a big gap. I like to think of prospect lists/rankings as ranking them by trade value and teams place higher value on players closer to helping in the majors. Every trade rumor you hear a team wants a MLB ready this or that.
 
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