Atlanta Braves Season Review: Marcell Ozuna’s Career Year

Marcell Ozuna provided the Atlanta Braves with the right-handed power bat they needed in the lineup to protect Freddie Freeman.

Last January, Marcell Ozuna signed a one-year contract worth $18 million with the Atlanta Braves. By signing this deal with the Braves, Marcell Ozuna essentially bet on himself with this one year “prove it” deal.

He proved himself.

He proved himself big time.

Marcell Ozuna hit .338/.431/.636/1.067 with 18 home runs, 38 runs, and 56 RBIs. He accumulated a 2.5 fWAR (2.5 fWAR in 2019 over a full season!) and a career high 179 wRC+.

Marcell Ozuna put up an MVP-level season on his 1 year “prove it” deal with the Braves. If it were not for Freddie Freeman and his elite 2020 season, we may be talking about Marcell Ozuna as an MVP candidate.

A further look at Marcell Ozuna’s statcast data shows it was a career year for “The Big Bear.”

Ozuna posted career highs in Barrel%, Exit Velocity, Sweet Spot%, Hard Hit%, xBA, xSLG, and wOBA. This shows how locked in (and healthy) Ozuna was at the plate for the Braves in 2020.

Maybe the most important accomplishment for Ozuna in 2020 was filling the hole left by Josh Donaldson who left for the Minnesota Twins.

Donaldson’s departure left a hole in the lineup behind Freddie Freeman which was cause for concern for the Atlanta Braves and their fans. Thankfully, Marcell Ozuna (and Travis d’Arnaud) provided the big bats the Braves needed in the middle of the order.

What’s Next for Ozuna?

Now that 2020 has come and gone, Marcell Ozuna once again finds himself on the open market. This time, he will not have a qualifying offer attached to him like he did last off-season.

Under normal circumstances, it would be reasonable to believe Marcell Ozuna would be in for a big payday. However, the uncertainty that the COVID-19 pandemic provides could make it a tough off-season for players and the teams.

After a year of lost revenue without fans in the stands, teams are not sure what their payrolls will look like for the upcoming year.

We are already seeing some teams make some interesting financial decisions as Brad Hand was surprisingly placed on waivers and the Braves chose not to pick up Darren O’Day’s $3.5 million option for 2021.

There is also the question of the DH in the National League for Marcell Ozuna. One would think the DH would probably stay in 2021 (the DH would most likely be added in the new CBA in 2022 anyways), but MLB and Rob Manfred have yet to provide a clear answer regarding the DH.

At this point in his career, Ozuna is basically a full-time DH. If the NL loses the DH for 2021, Ozuna possibly loses fifteen suitors for his services.

It is important to recognize that Ozuna was signed by the Braves before the DH was implemented for the 2020 season, and the plan was for him to primarily play left field. Without diving too far into Ozuna’s defensive metrics, Ozuna probably should not be playing the outfield much anymore.

Thankfully, Cristian Pache and Ronald Acuña look like they will be patrolling center field and right field for the foreseeable future. If the DH goes away and the Braves want to give Ozuna a shot in left field, they could probably shade Pache more towards left to help Ozuna out.

With all that being said, Ozuna should still find himself making a decent payday this winter. With the uncertainty of the off-season and for 2021, the Braves could possibly offer Ozuna a multi-year deal early and convince him to sign instead of taking a risk waiting out this off-season.

There is also the possibility of Ozuna taking another one-year deal and cashing in after 2021 when things are hopefully back to normal.

Either way, I know I would enjoy seeing Marcell Ozuna back in a Braves uniform in 2021. Maybe the Braves can have a Marcell Ozuna neon green arm sleeve night at Truist Park?