Resurgent Ozuna rewarding Braves for their patience

SEATTLE -- Marcell Ozuna continues to reward the Braves for the patience they maintained as he followed a couple unproductive seasons marred by legal issues with one of the worst months in franchise history.

“I think he is very appreciative that we did hang in there with him, because it wasn’t easy,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “You remembered him as a young player and being very good. We hoped some of that was still in there, because he wasn’t over the hill by any stretch. He’s in the prime of his life.”

Ozuna accounted for one of the seven hits the Braves tallied in a 3-2 loss to the Mariners on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park. The veteran designated hitter will enter May leading the Majors with 31 RBIs and the National League with nine home runs.

He is in a far different position than he was this time last year, when there was reason to wonder if the Braves might release him, despite still owing him approximately $35 million at the time.

All Ozuna has done since then is be one of the game’s most productive players.

Here's where he ranks among other MLB players in these offensive categories going back to May 1, 2023:

• Home runs (47): Third ... trailing only Matt Olson (49) and Kyle Schwarber (49)
• RBIs (129): Tied for first with Olson
• Slugging percentage (.609): Third
• OPS (.981): Third, trailing only Shohei Ohtani (1.095) and Mookie Betts (1.049)
• Total bases (352): Fourth

“God told me this is the one opportunity, so I had to take care of that opportunity that he gave me back to play baseball,” Ozuna said. “Life is harder than usual sometimes, but you have to keep continuing.”

Ozuna exited April 2023 hitting .085 with two homers and a .397 OPS in 67 plate appearances. He is one of only three players in Atlanta history (since 1966) to have a sub-.400 OPS while recording at least 60 plate appearances in March/April. The others were Erick Aybar (2016) and Pat Rockett (1978), a pair of shortstops near the end of their respective careers. Of the three, Ozuna is the only one to post a batting average lower than .100 in that span.

These struggles set the stage for Ozuna's very impressive in-season revitalization, when the slugger constructed a 40-homer, 100-RBI season last year, and has kept it going through this season’s first month.

Ozuna enters May with a 1.036 OPS. This marks just the 15th time a Braves player has produced a 1.000-plus OPS with at least 100 plate appearances in March/April. Ozuna joins Justin Upton (2013), Andres Galarraga (1998), Chipper Jones (1998) and Freddie Freeman (2017) as the players to do so while also hitting at least nine home runs before the end of the regular season’s first full month.

“A lot of places you’re not going to find teams and organizations willing to give the guy time to figure it out,” Olson said. “We play 162 games because of all the ups and downs. But it says a lot for a team to say, ‘This is one of our guys and you ride them out.’”

Ozuna singled in the fourth inning on Tuesday night, but he also struck out with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth of a one-run game. This was one of those situations he has thrived in over the past few weeks. He is hitting .395 (15-for-38) with a 1.333 OPS with runners in scoring position this year.

“I’m really proud of how he’s handled things and where he’s gotten to,” Snitker said.

Ozuna’s turnaround was influenced by mechanical and lifestyle changes. His 2021 season ended with a domestic violence arrest that occurred a few days after fracturing a pair of fingers while sliding into third base. His 2022 season was blemished with a DUI arrest.

Last year’s slow start added to the pressure that surrounded him. But he felt like everything began to improve once he changed his lifestyle, placing his focus back on baseball and his family.

His dedication has been appreciated by the teammates, who feel fortunate to call him a mentor and a friend.

“We’re a team, and we always have each other’s back,” Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies said. “That’s what makes this team special.”