Albies wins Southern League Batting Title
Albies wins batting title with adjusted .315 batting average
PEARL, MS -- The Braves No. 6 prospect Ozzie Albies has been awarded the 2016 Southern League Batting Title with an adjusted batting average of .315.
In order to win a league batting title, players must have a minimum of 2.7 plate appearance per game, thus totaling 378 plate appearances. The Southern League Leaders lists Tennessee's Chesney Young with an average of .303 under those qualifications. However, by Rule 9.22(a) (formerly Rule 10.22(a)), Albies actually wins the title with an adjusted batting average of .315. Albies had 371 plate appearances, so by adding seven more at-bats (0-7), his average would drop from .321 to .315 and still lead the Southern League.
Between Triple-A Gwinnett and Double-A Mississippi, Albies posted a combined batting average of .292 with 33 doubles, 10 triples, six homers and 53 RBI. In 82 games with the Double-A Braves this season, Albies posted a .321 average with 22 doubles, seven triples, four homers and 33 RBI. He started the season at Mississippi but joined the G-Braves at the end of April. In 56 contests there, Albies hit .248 with 16 extra-base hits and 20 RBI before rejoining the M-Braves June 30.
Albies entered the season ranked among Baseball America's Top 100 at No. 63. He ranks third in the Braves organization with 30 stolen bases and sits fourth with a .292 batting average. Tagged the "Best Infield Arm" among Braves minor leaguers, the Curacao native was signed by the Braves as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2013.
9.22 Minimum Standards for Individual Championships
To assure uniformity in establishing the batting, pitching and fielding championships of professional leagues, such champions shall meet the following minimum performance standards:
(a) The individual batting, slugging or on-base percentage champion shall be the player with the highest batting average, slugging percentage or on-base percentage, as the case may be, provided the player is credited with as many or more total appearances at the plate in league championship games as the number of games scheduled for each club in his club's league that season, multiplied by 3.1 in the case of a Major League player and by 2.7 in the case of a National Association player. Total appearances at the plate shall include official times at bat, plus bases on balls, times hit by pitcher, sacrifice hits, sacrifice flies and times awarded first base because of interference or obstruction. Notwithstanding the foregoing requirement of minimum appearances at the plate, any player with fewer than the required number of plate appearances whose average would be the highest, if he were charged with the required number of plate appearances shall be awarded the batting, slugging or on-base percentage championship, as the case may be.