Ozuna turns to Big Papi for advice

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

It turns out one of Marcell Ozuna’s hitting advisors is his idol, Hall of Famer David Ortiz.

“I’m always talking to Big Papi,” Ozuna said. “He said, 'Let me see the video to see what’s going on with you.' After watching the video, he said, 'Be patient, the results are going to come. Don’t rush.'”

Ortiz’s messages have benefitted Ozuna, who has been one of baseball’s top offensive producers since escaping a horrific April. His resurgence has strengthened the lineup and finally provided some value to the four-year, $65 million deal Ozuna signed before the 2021 season.

Ozuna has hit .319 with 11 homers and a 1.020 OPS over 131 plate appearances going back to May 2. His OPS ranks second among all MLB players with at least 130 plate appearances during this span.

He most recently spoke to Ortiz before the Braves opened a series in Oakland two weeks ago.

“[Ortiz] said, 'I’ve seen you coming back, and I believed you would, because I know how hard you worked,'” Ozuna said.

This has been an incredible turnaround for Ozuna, who created reason to be released by hitting .085 with two homers and a .397 OPS over 67 March/April plate appearances. Anyone can have a bad month, but this was just an extension of two ugly years.

Ozuna gained his contract after thriving for the Braves during the 60-game, COVID-shortened 2020 season. Less than two months into the '21 season, he fractured two fingers and then was arrested for domestic violence. He didn’t play again until '22, when he produced a .687 OPS and had a DUI arrest.

But this year has been different for Ozuna, who has resurrected his career and served as a respected mentor within the Braves’ clubhouse. After capping a three-hit game with a game-winning homer against the Mets on Wednesday, Michael Harris II credited Ozuna for the pep talk he gave him the night before.

“He’s always been that kind of guy that whenever he sees a young teammate with their head down or slumping, he’s always come and supported us or given us encouraging messages,” Ronald Acuña Jr. said through an interpreter. “That’s the kind of guy he is.”