Marcell Ozuna, Center Field, Atlanta Braves

Date of Birth: 12/12/1990
Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Marcell Ozuna, center fielder for the Atlanta Braves, was signed by the Miami Marlins as a free agent in February, 2008. He played in the Marlins' minor league system from 2008 through most of 2013, finishing with a .274 batting average.

In 2013, Ozuna had a thumb injury and surgery that limited his playing time to 70 games with the Marlins. He batted .265 with 73 hits and 17 doubles. Defensively, he played 33 games in center field and 36 games in right field. He finished the 2014 season with 152 hits, 26 doubles, 23 home runs, 85 RBIs, 164 strikeouts to 41 walks, and a .269 batting average in 153 games. As a center fielder, he made 325 putouts and 5 errors in 140 games.

Ozuna finished the 2015 season wiith 119 hits, 27 doubles, 44 RBIs, and a .259 batting average in 123 games. As a center fielder, he made 238 putouts and 1 error in 111 games and he had a .996 fielding percentage.

In 2016, Ozuna batted .266 with 148 hits, 23 doubles, 23 home runs, and 76 RBIs in 148 games. Defensively, as the Marlins' center fielder in 123 games, he made 276 putouts and 5 errors.

Ozuna had a strong 2017 season, finishing with highs in hits (191), doubles (30), home runs (37), RBIs (124), and batting average (.312) in 159 games. Defensively, as the Marlins' left fielder, he made 305 putouts and 5 errors. He won his first Gold Glove and his first Silver Slugger award in 2017.

The Marlins traded Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals on December 14, 2017. He had a strong first season with the Cardinals, finishing with 163 hits, 16 doubles, 23 home runs, 88 RBIs, and a .280 batting average in 148 games. Defensively, as the Cardinals' left fielder in 147 games, he made 264 putouts and 4 errors.

Ozuna spent time on the DL in 2019 with a finger fracture. He finished the season with 117 hits, 23 doubles, 29 home runs, 12 stolen bases, 89 RBIs, 114 strikeouts to 62 walks, and a .241 batting average in 131 games. Defensively, as a left fielder in 129 games, he made 181 putouts and 4 errors. In the postseason, he had 12 hits, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 5 RBIs, 13 strikeouts to 1 walk, and a .324 batting average in 37 at-bats in 9 games.

Ozuna became a free agent on October 31, 2019. he signed a one-year, $18 million contract with the Braves on January 21, 2020. He had a good 2020 season, batting .338 and winning his second Silver Slugger award. He led the NL in home runs with 18 and in RBIs with 56. He had 77 hits, 14 doubles, and 60 strikeouts to 38 walks in 60 games. Defensively, he played 19 games in left field and 2 games in right field, and he was the Braves' DH in 39 games. In the postseason, he batted .255 with 13 hits, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, and 11 RBIs in 51 at-bats in 12 games.

Ozuna elected free agency on October 28, 2020. He re-signed with the Braves on February 5, 2021. He spent time on the IL in 2021 with finger fractures. He also missed time when he was on the restricted list due to violating MLB's domestic violence policy. He played in 48 games with the Braves and he batted just .213. He didn't play in the postseason.

Career batting statistics for Ozuna through 2021 include:

• 1,039 games played
• 1,080 hits
• 182 doubles
• 173 home runs
• 620 RBIs
• 920 strikeouts to 348 walks
• .273 batting average

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Marcell Ozuna
ESPN - Marcell Ozuna