Marcell Ozuna will be a polarizing figure for as long as he remains in the league, but whether Braves fans like it or not, there’s a good chance he remains with the team for the foreseeable future. Earlier this offseason, Ozuna was handed a light 20-game retroactive suspension for his domestic violence dispute that occurred in May. That means he is cleared to play on Opening Day in 2022.
This puts the Braves in quite the pickle. I’m sure they would like to trade him and avoid a PR nightmare, but there may not be a reasonable deal out there, and they owe Ozuna $53 million over the next three seasons. I don’t see them eating that, which means he could remain a Brave.
From a baseball perspective, however, this could be good for the Braves. Ozuna remains one of the more feared hitters on the planet, and he’s shown that this winter in the Dominican League.
Maria Torres of The Athletic recently took a look at how ten different players were performing in the Dominican League thus far, and Ozuna, who has been tearing the cover off the ball, was on the list.
What we have learned about these 10 players in the Dominican winter league so far https://t.co/LiRGBh0VC5
— Maria Torres (@maria_torres3) December 10, 2021
Through 15 games, Ozuna is slashing .316/.381/.596, which equates to a .977 OPS, with four doubles and four homers. Here’s a short blurb from Torres regarding Ozuna’s performance:
Ozuna’s performance stands out because the league is notoriously pitcher-friendly. His defense also stands out, an encouraging sign for a defender who two seasons ago cost the Cardinals nine Outs Above Average.
It will take a lot more than on-field production for Ozuna to win over the hearts of Braves fans again, and for some, it may not be possible. However, hopefully, with a commitment to change off the field, this situation doesn’t get any messier for the Braves.
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