© Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Braves Slugger Given Surprising Ceiling in 2024
The Atlanta Braves could have a surprising entrant into the 2024 home run title race
The Atlanta Braves stuck by him when he wasn’t playing well.
And now, he’s one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball.
Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna was batting .085 on the morning of May 2nd, 2023, having gone 5-59 over the team’s first month. But manager Brian Snitker stuck with him, inserting him into that night’s lineup, and Marcell would soon reward Snitker’s faith.
In Atlanta’s series in South Florida against the Miami Marlins, the team that signed him as an amateur free agent in 2008 and a city in which he still lives, Ozuna was red-hot: 6-13, hitting three homers (including a grand slam), scoring six runs, and driving in six runs as Atlanta swept Miami by a combined score of 26-9.
And since that point, “The Big Bear” has absolutely raked. From May 2nd through the end of the season, Marcell hit .297/.366/.603 with 38 homers and 98 RBIs, resulting in a career-high 40 homers on the season and the 2nd-highest RBI total of his career.
And Ozuna’s continued his hot hitting in 2024, currently sitting at .318/.333/.705 with a NL-leading five homers and a team high 13 RBIs through the team’s first ten games.
The finish to last year and this year’s hot start is why MLB.com, discussing early season developments “to believe in” for each team, singled out Ozuna as a potential home run title candidate in 2024.
“Ozuna’s early power production is just an extension of what he did over last season’s final five months. His early-season struggles last year created reason to wonder if he would be released. Ozuna is tied for the NL lead in homers and tied for second among MLB players with 43 homers since May 1. He could be a legitimate contender for the NL homer crown in 2024.”
In fact, the only player with more homers since May 1st is his teammate Matt Olson, who led all of MLB with 54 homers in 2024, including 49 from May 1st to now (46 last season and 3 in 2024).
The drastic turnaround is something that can be attributed to Ozuna’s hard work and the team’s standards for performance, claims third baseman Austin Riley. “What he went through early in the year, he sets himself to a higher standard.” Riley told David O’Brien of The Athletic. I think we all do. And what he’s doing right now is what he expects of himself every day. He’s put in the work and the time. He’s been around the game a long time and he knows what it’s like to struggle. You’ve just got to stick with the plan, and he’s doing that.”
Ozuna said that while the struggles were tough, it’s all behind him and he can enjoy playing baseball again.
"Sometimes you have a full mindset, you have your mind charged, and put all of those problems in the past.” he told O’Brien. “Now I can come every day happy like I used to be. Every day, come in happy and play happy when I have the opportunity. Now I have the opportunity and the chance, so I have to take (advantage)."
And it’s not just offensively where Ozuna has contributed to the team - he’s also been serving as a veteran mentor, of sorts. Centerfielder Michael Harris II credits an in-game conversation last season with Ozuna against the New York Mets as breaking him out of his slump and fueling his torrid second-half.
Ozuna told O’Brien that’s exactly the type of teammate he strives to be, because it leads to team success. “I always do that. It’s kind of the type on my profile. I always try to help if I see something. I don’t want to be like eyewash. I want to help them. If they do good, I do good, because we’re a team, we’re a unit.”
Ozuna’s in the final year of a four year, $65M contract signed prior to the 2021 season. He’s got a $16M club option for 2025, his age-34 season, that at least early is looking like a no-brainer for the team to pick up.