Braves SS Continues Dominant Spring Training Run in Return to Lineup

We’re reaching a point where a serious conversation needs to be had. Atlanta Braves shortstop Nick Allen continued his run of dominance at the plate after being out of the lineup for over a week. 

Allen went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored. His solo shot to open scoring in the first inning ended up being the start of a 13-4 routing of the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.

With his day done, he now has a .471/.526/.706 slash line with one home runs and three RBIs across 19 plate apperances. Of course, it is a small sample size across Spring Training games. That has to be acknowledge. But with how he's playing, he has earned the opportunity to see what he can do when the games matter.

This run comes a day after Eli White got a rare go at playing shortstop for a big-league club. White is also hitting well this Spring, batting .421 (8-for-19) with a 1.055 OPS. The competition to team with Ozzie Albies in the middle infield is heating up a bit.

So far, the expected starting shortstop, Orlando Arcia, is now 1-for-15 with three walks in Spring Training. This slow start follows a rough 2024 campaign that saw him finish as the statistically worst hitter with runners in scoring position. He finished the season with a .155 average and a .400 OPS with runners in scoring position. Both were last among qualified hitters.

At the very least, he'll earn his way onto the Opening Day roster at this rate. However, it might be time to consider if he should start the regular season in the lineup.

Allen was a top prospect in the Oakland Athletics' system. As recently as 2022, he was a top-five prospect in the organization. While the glove was already there, the question was can his bat take that last big step. It was there in Triple-A but he hadn't gotten a hand on MLB pitchers yet.

Last season, he batted .175 with a .463 OPS in 41 games with Oakland. However, he batted .345 with a .928 OPS in 81 Triple-A games. Something wasn't translating.

The Braves acquisition of Allen over the offseason is a clear sign they were willing to try and figure out how to tap into that potential bat. Maybe they're starting too. He still needs the test of the regular season. There's no argument against that. But if he keeps this up heading into late March, it would be worth seeing if he can finally pass this test.

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