Bolly

Bolly

The nickname Bolly is on his glove. The gold chain around his neck carries his father's image, and a tattoo reads "go live your dream." Ozzie Albies has carried Osgarry Albies with him since 2013, when his father died of a heart attack at 40 — about a month after the 16-year-old from Willemstad, Curaçao, signed with the Atlanta Braves for $350,000. He chose the organization in part because of the path Andruw Jones and Andrelton Simmons had already walked from the same island, discovered by Curaçao-based scout Dargello Lodowica. He arrived in the United States grieving and lonely, and pushed through it by fixating on one thing: becoming a big leaguer to thank his dad.

He started playing baseball at six. He began switch-hitting in 2013, the same year he signed. He speaks four languages — English, Spanish, Dutch, and Papiamento.

Ten Years, One Uniform

On August 1, Albies stole his 100th career base. He debuted on the same date in 2017 and has played 10 seasons since, all with Atlanta, all at second base. Infield coach Ron Washington put him through daily defensive drills filled with banter and hard work, and has praised the heart that let a 5-foot-7, 165-pound player answer the doubts about his size. Teammate Dansby Swanson pointed to the constant work and a sharpening approach at the plate.

The stolen bases sit alongside 1,205 hits, 177 home runs, 257 doubles, 33 triples, and 695 runs across 1,151 games. Two Silver Slugger awards, four All-Star selections, and a World Series championship in 2021.

At his home in Marietta, Georgia, Albies keeps indoor tanks and a 10,000-gallon outdoor koi pond inspired by his grandfather's pond back in Curaçao. He has named some of the fish — Orange, Mango, Oreo — and checks on them via ring camera while on the road.

He is 29, in his tenth season, still at second base for the Braves.

Reporting: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, MLB.com, The Athletic, Wikipedia. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.