It was a Jekyll and Hyde week for the Atlanta Braves, with the offense exploding for half the week before being held in check by the Philadelphia Phillies, while the pitching staff was outstanding outside of allowing 19 runs to the Phillies on Thursday.
That meant there was no shortage of options for this week’s Player of the Week Award.
Starting pitchers Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, Hurston Waldrep and the returning Chris Sale all had weekly ERA’s between 1.29 and 1.64. Tyler Kinley had three scoreless
appearances out of the bullpen.
Offensively, there were a number of superfluous weeks. Jake Fraley, who finally made his Braves debut after being claimed off waivers from the Reds got five hits in nine at-bats. Jurickson Profar had a .983 OPS with a couple of home runs to close out a spectacular month. Matt Olson had a 1.049 OPS. And Drake Baldwin, who won Sunday night’s game with a home run after pinch-hitting late in the contest, had a team-best 1.145 OPS in only 18 at-bats.
Despite so many players having fantastic weeks, it was Atlanta’s longest tenured player who earned this week’s honor.
Battery Power Braves Player of the Week: Ozzie Albies
It’s hard to find anyone who dislikes Ozzie Albies, the person. Since joining the Braves in August 2017 as a 20-year-old, he’s been a three-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger and is ascending numerous career marks for middle infielders in Atlanta Braves history.
But despite his excellence, in years past, this season is the third time in four years that he’s been a below-average offensive performer for the Braves. Injuries have played a role and his recovery from a wrist injury last season put a damper on his 2025 campaign.
There’s a been a copious amount on conjecture about whether-or-not the Braves will pick-up the 2026 option on Albies’ contract this off-season. Given his buy-out, it seems extremely likely Atlanta will do so, given next year will be his age 29 season, and the team doesn’t have an in-house replacement as a viable upgrade.
Albies struggles do shroud his future with Atlanta in doubt, which is why performance during the last-half of August is so important. Since mid-month, he’s had an .833 OPS which is in-line with his better career seasons. If he can produce an OPS around .775 for September, that would go a long way in solidifying his place as the team’s second baseman next season.
Last week, Albies reminded people of what he is capable of providing the team’s offense. Despite book-ending the week with 0-for’s, he had four multi-hit games highlighted by his two home run performance in a three-hit game against the Miami Marlins. In back-to-back contests against Miami, he drove in four runs and five runs, respectively.
For the week, Albies socked three home runs and two doubles, drove in 10 and scored four times. He finished the week with nine hits in 28 at bats good for a 1.081 OPS, walking twice and striking out only three times.
With four weeks remaining in 2025, Albies performance might not be the top player performance to watch, but it will be important to monitor. If he makes it to Opening Day 2026 as the Braves starting second baseman, it will be the ninth time he has done so; that would break the tie for the most Opening Day starts at second base in Atlanta Braves history, one he shares with Glenn Hubbard.
