The Atlanta Braves can undoubtedly credit Marcell Ozuna, their designated hitter, as being their offensive leader this season.
Before the 2024 season, Ozuna most likely wouldn’t have been ranked #1 on anyone’s ranking of the Braves’ most offensively productive players. Those positions would have most certainly been reserved for the team’s third baseman, Austin Riley, or for last year’s home run leader, Matt Olson, or perhaps Ronald Acuña Jr., who was named the National League MVP. Even after he had a terrific conclusion to the previous season, that is.
Ozuna, like many other batters, has been incredibly inconsistent throughout his career to the point where he is a dangerous hitter. His history of persistent injuries, which stretch back to his days with the St. Louis Cardinals, have been a major contributor to many of his inconsistencies. Ozuna missed 46 games while wearing a Cardinals uniform in his two seasons there, hitting.260 overall with 224 strikeouts.
The same can be said for Ozuna once he came to Atlanta, where a mixture of injuries and legal issues only allowed him to make appearances in 48 games during the 2021 season. Then he missed another 38 games the following season. Those two seasons were the least productive of his entire career, collecting an average of just .222 with 168 strikeouts.
Many wondered what the future would hold for Ozuna after the 2022 season. With legal problems from a domestic assault case and another of DUI hovering over him, plus not producing at the plate, it was looking dim for his future in Atlanta, or in baseball, period. His offensive production, after all, was the sole reason Braves general manager signed him back in 2020. Ozuna was never going to be known for his defense in the outfield.
The 2023 season started off as a disaster for Ozuna. Through the first full month of the season last year, he was hitting just .085 with two homers in 66 plate appearances. He was without a doubt the worst hitter in all of baseball—and probably fighting for his job at that point. Then something happened at the beginning of May last year in a series against the Miami Marlins that completely changed the trajectory of Ozuna’s career.
How Marcell Ozuna became the best hitter in baseball
When Ozuna faced his former squad on May 2 of last year, he made the decision that it was time to end the worst slump of his career. He went 2-for-4 that day and scored one run, but he really came into his own the following day. After starting the game batting seventh in the order, Ozuna went 3-for-5 for the day, driving in five runs and hitting two home runs. It was official—the Big Bear was back.
That series was a significant turnaround for the Braves’ designated hitter. Since May 2 of last year, Ozuna has been one of the best hitters in baseball. He’s currently tied with his teammate, Matt Olson, for most home runs during that span (54) and four better than Kyle Schwarber, even though he has fewer plate appearances than both. He’s also knocked in the most runs (146), leading by three as of this writing. He’s ninth in average, 15th in on-base percentage, and third in slugging, according to FanGraphs.
“Oh my gosh, I just got goosebumps thinking about it,” Braves’ hitting coach Kevin Seitzer told Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “That’s why we do what we do, just to be able to help guys get out of bad spots. It’s like, even when we’re winning games and doing really good, there are still two or three guys that keep you awake at night, that you want to try and get them going. It’s like, ‘Yeah, okay, good (that) we won, I’m glad we won, that’s the most important part.’ But getting the guys going that are scuffling—with Ozuna last year, having him turn it around, and then I’m so happy this year (that) he picked up where he left off last year.”
Ozuna miraculously got his average all the way back up to .274 last season and belted 40 home runs in the process. Right now, that’s all thankfully carried over into this season where the Braves have needed it more than ever, as one of last year’s most potent offenses has had a major setback this season.
The Braves need this version of Marcell Ozuna the most this season
While Ozuna has been going back and forth with some of the league’s best in leading the league in homers—he currently has 16, in fourth place—and RBIs—he’s second with 48—the rest of the Braves’ impressive offensive roster has done nothing similar. Acuña, Olson, and Riley have all hit well below their normal standards.
Several Braves players have sustained injuries this season, including Riley and Acuña. With a torn ACL in his left knee that will keep him out for the rest of the season, Acuña’s injury is the worst of them all. However, injuries have also kept Travis d’Arnaud, Sean Murphy, and Ozzie Albies out of action at various times.
It goes without saying that the lineup has been completely flipped.
Tuesday night, with the Braves up 2-0 against the Washington Nationals, Ozuna, batting third, hit another home run.
“I assured the captain that I would be available wherever he needed me to be in the lineup. After the game on Wednesday, Ozuna told reporters, “I’ll do my best and help the team.”
