Change in approach has Marcell Ozuna returning to form
It all started with a liner on the second of May that dropped in front of Jazz Chisholm Jr. a hair to the right of the second base bag.
Believe it or not, that was Marcell Ozuna’s first hit not to his pull side all season. It’s not so hard to believe considering he only had five hits on the year up to that point – two of them homers out to left field.
In April, Ozuna hit .091, struck out 18 times, grounded into three double plays, walked eight times and slugged .218 in 55 at bats. It was either a rope to left field or a swing for the left field fence and a massive whiff. Pitchers knew that, and he was getting pounded low and away.
Ozuna has seen 140 pitches low and outside the zone this season, per StatCast. 42 pitches have come to him in the lower-outside third of the plate, the most of any portion of the zone except the very middle portion. He has barreled up 0% of pitches in either of those areas.
However, four days after his knock to center field and three days after his multi-homer game – both versus the Marlins – Ozuna launched his first true opposite-field hit into the seats in right field versus the Orioles.
The use of the opposite field has continued as the two-time Silver Slugger’s bat has come to life. After his 452-foot blast on Wednesday night versus the Dodgers, Ozuna has 21 hits in May – a third of them to right field.
Four of them have come in the past two series versus the Mariners and Dodgers, with Ozuna mashing an RBI double down the right field line in game two versus the Dodgers. If it wasn’t Mookie Betts with a hose of an arm in right, who knows, maybe the “Big Bear” scampers down to third for his first triple of 2023.
But what we do know for sure is Ozuna’s approach is paying off. He entered Wednesday night’s contest batting .328 in the month of May with a .406/.656/1/062 slash line. His slugging percentage is more than .400 higher than in April.
After Wednesday’s 1-for-3 night, he’s mashed seven long balls in May with 18 RBI and 40 total bases in 61 at bats. His walk-to-strikeout ratio hasn’t changed much at eight walks to 16 Ks, but he’s scored 11 runs and, not to mention, even drew an intentional walk to set up Michael Harris’ walk-off hit on May 7.
His opposite-field hit percentage is up to 24.1%, up near his 2020 total of 24.3%, and his chase rate has fallen down to 26.5%. This has led to a hard hit percentage that’s in the 77th percentile in the MLB and an exit velocity that is at the 64th percentile in the league.
Ron Washington called Ozuna one of the hardest workers on the field, and it is looking like his persistence through the onslaught of “boos” he got in April is paying off.
The Braves’ patience with the slugger is starting to pay off for them as well. It was an ugly April, but there is hope that Atlanta can get production from Ozuna in the final two years of his 4-year, $65 million contract.
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