The Atlanta Braves have not enjoyed an above-average option at second base since 2012, when Dan Uggla clubbed 19 home runs on the way to 3.4 fWAR. That is a long time in “baseball years”, and while there have been flashes of brilliance, the general attitude toward the position over the past four seasons has been indifference.
2016 was not terribly different in that regard with two players, Jace Peterson and Gordon Beckham, receiving the lion’s share of the playing time in an effort to “keep the seat warm” for the presumed promotion of Ozzie Albies in 2017.