Ozzie Albies has played in four All-Star Games, won two Silver Slugger Awards and was part of the 2021 Atlanta Braves World Series championship team. When he talks about what pushes him through all of it, he points to a piece of jewelry around his neck.
Albies wears a chain that belonged to his late father. The pendant holds a photo of his dad. He has said that having that piece of his father with him on the field serves as a constant reminder to keep going — the same words his father left with him: never give up.
His father, Osgarry Albies, died of a heart attack in 2013 at the age of 40. Ozzie was 16 years old. That same year, he signed with the Atlanta Braves as an international free agent for $350,000 — a decision shaped, in part, by the Braves' connection to fellow Curaçao natives Andruw Jones and Andrelton Simmons.
Albies was born Jan. 7, 1997, in Willemstad, Curaçao. He grew up alongside a younger brother, Zhhihir, and a younger sister, Jeanalyn. He started playing baseball at six years old and began switch-hitting in 2013, the same year Curaçao-based scout Dargello Lodowica discovered him and connected him to Atlanta's front office.
The loss of his father and the signing with the Braves happened in the same year. Albies has carried both forward ever since. The chain is the visible part of that.
His career arc after signing reflects the drive he credits to his father's words. He debuted in the Gulf Coast League in 2014, hitting.364 in 57 games. By 2015, he was the youngest player on the field at the All-Star Futures Game. He reached the major leagues on Aug. 1, 2017, and was named to his first All-Star Game the following season in 2018.
The accolades kept building. Albies won the National League Silver Slugger Award in 2019 and again in 2021. In 2021 he also won the Heart Hustle Award, which recognizes a player who best embodies hustle, sportsmanship and passion for the game. Atlanta won the World Series that October.
He has dealt with injuries along the way — a fractured right thumb ended his 2015 minor-league season early, an elbow injury cut short his 2016 Double-A postseason, and a fractured wrist in 2023 limited him to 64 games. He returned each time. In March 2026, he delivered the first walk-off home run in World Baseball Classic history, a three-run shot that gave Curaçao a 4–3 win over Nicaragua on March 7. He was named to the 2026 All-Star Game as well.
The pendant around his neck has been there for all of it.
