Braves Players to Watch in Saturday's Game vs Pirates

Here are the four players to watch in Saturday’s matchup. 

Ozzie Albies, Second Baseman

It’s been a slow Spring Training so far for the three-time All-Star. Albies is currently slashing .083/.214/.083. To look for a positive, he has a good walk rate (14.2%) and his on-base percentage is good relative to his batting average. 

But he’s having trouble squaring anything up in 14 trips to the plate so far. He had a mediocre Spring Training performance last season, and the result was a season that saw him underperform - even before his injury. 

His last strong Spring Training in 2023 saw him have an All-Star season. That has been the trend for the last two seasons. It can’t hurt to check in on him. 

Drake Baldwin (Catcher) and Spencer Schwellenbach (Starting Pitcher) 

These two are being paired up as a Battery for this one. 

The top prospect, Baldwin, gets yet another start behind the dish. He’s worked with Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez. Now, he gets to work with a fellow young talent in Spencer Schwellenbach, who was a surprise force in the rotation last season. 

These two are being paired up because they have briefly overlapped in the minors with each other.  

Baldwin caught the second of Schwellenbach’s two Double-A starts before the righty was called up to the Braves rotation. He pitched seven shutout innings while allowing two hits, no walks and striking out eight. 

Since it’s a sample size of one, this will be a chance to see if they simply clicked for a game or if two have some chemistry. 

Austin Riley, Third Baseman

Riley is having a rather typical stretch at the plate. His batting average is .278 and he’s slugging an even .500. That about matches his career averages in the regular season (.272 and .502). 

The only critique is his walk rate could use some work. He’s drawn a single free pass so far in 19 plate appearances. His walk rate is not usually that much higher, it’s usually around 8% while it’s currently around 5%. That’s why his spring can still be seen as typical. However, that slight difference will show in his on-base percentage and in turn his overall production.

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