Atlanta Braves should keep Marcell Ozuna
When news broke in late-January the Braves had signed free agent Marcell Ozuna, it wasn’t greeted with fans jamming the phone lines wanting season tickets. Most only knew Ozuna as being part of the team that beat the Braves in the last game played last October.
He was the guy that wore the yellow Sharpie-like sleeve for the Cardinals that hit two home runs against the Braves in that series. Ozuna had been with the Marlins, so we all saw him a bit when they’d play the Braves a few years back.
Now that we’ve seen Ozuna play for 40 games in an Atlanta uniform, he seems to be a fan favorite. Well, that’s hard to determine when there are no fans in the stands, but fans better pay attention to what Ozuna has done to make this Braves lineup one of the best in years.
Ozuna has to be mentioned in the MVP discussion. He’s in the top 10 in eight offensive categories in the National League, including second in RBI (36) and OPS (1.062) and third in slugging percentage (.653).
For all the (deserved) criticism general manager Alex Anthopoulos got for not properly helping the Braves starting rotation last week, he deserves credit for signing Ozuna. After Josh Donaldson left for the Twins, the Braves needed another power hitter. Ozuna had not gotten the long-term deal he was after, so he settled on a one-year, $18 million deal from the Braves.
It’s worked out perfectly. And moving forward, Anthopoulos needs to do all he can to lock Ozuna up for a few more years. Ozuna’s defense is not what it used to be, as a bum shoulder has made his suspect in left field. But with the designated hitter possibly here to stay, Ozuna has found a role he’s perfect for as he passes his 30 birthday this November.
We’re not sure yet if they NL will keep the DH. The talk was we’d see it when the new collective bargaining agreement was in place before the 2022 season. They went ahead and put it in for this shortened season, and it seems to have gone over well. Why would they go back to letting the pitchers try and hit again next year when many teams have found their designated hitters?
The Braves couldn’t have lucked up on anyone better than Ozuna. Just tell him to go up and hit four or five times a game and he’ll likely do very well. In his 23 games as the DH this season, Ozuna has hit .313 with a .414 on base percentage, nine home runs and 21 RBI in 99 plate appearances.
Yeah, that’ll work.
Ozuna should be affordable since the Braves will soon break in two rookie outfielders, Cristian Pache and Drew Waters, who will be cheap for a couple of seasons. Even if they were to bring back Nick Markakis and/or Adam Duvall for next season, it shouldn’t break the bank.
Plus, Ozuna plays the game with joy, and it seems to rub off on his teammates, particularly his fellow Latin players who likely look up to him as a veteran.
With Austin Riley becoming more dependable and more consistent, the middle of the Braves lineup should be in great shape if Ozuna were re-signed. We’ve seen how great the lineup has been the last few weeks; it’s been like watching home run derby. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There is no way the Braves could find a more perfect designated hitter than they won they’ve already got.
Ozuna will be crucial for the rest of this season, as well. With the starting rotation still shaky (that’s being nice), the Braves are likely to have to outslug opponents in the playoffs. And Ozuna will be the key to that potential success. If he keeps up his MVP-type season, the Braves may be more of a threat in the playoffs than we might imagine.
And that should be enough for Anthopoulos and Liberty Media to make sure Ozuna is the man we can say is truly the Braves’ first full-time designated hitter in franchise history for more years to come.