Marcell Ozuna, the Atlanta Braves slugger, is unfazed by the “MVP! MVP! MVP!” chants echoing through the stadium.
The star player, nicknamed “Big Bear,” has experienced the fickle nature of success firsthand, and he knows better than to get complacent.
“You have to be at the same level,” Ozuna says, “so you don’t get comfortable.”
Just a year ago, Ozuna’s career was in jeopardy. The same fans who now cheer him were booing him mercilessly every time he stepped up to the plate. It seemed inevitable that the Braves would release him.
However, the team stood by him, and Ozuna has once again become one of baseball’s most feared hitters. On Wednesday night, he hit two home runs, leading Atlanta to a 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox and surpassing Shohei Ohtani for the MLB home run lead with 12.
“Big Bear” also woke up on Thursday leading the major leagues with 38 RBIs, five more than any other player. He ranked second to Ohtani in both slugging percentage (.646) and OPS (1.042), and was among the top 20 in hitting with a .315 average.
Braves manager Brian Snitker has immense respect for Ozuna. “I’ve got so much respect for that man,” Snitker said. “The baseball gods have a way of rewarding people like that.”
To fully appreciate Ozuna’s remarkable turnaround, it’s crucial to look back at where he was after the first month of the 2023 season. He was hitting a dismal .085 with only two RBIs, and pundits were calling for the Braves to cut their losses on his four-year, $65 million contract. Additionally, Ozuna was dealing with off-the-field issues, including arrests for domestic violence and drunk driving within a 15-month span, which further fueled the calls for the team to move on.
Ozuna apologized for his mistakes, served a 20-game suspension, and completed a diversion program that resulted in the domestic violence charges being dropped.
On the field, he never lost faith in his abilities, even at his lowest point. He remembered the advice that Juan Pierre gave him when he first arrived in the big leagues with the Miami Marlins in 2013: “One of these days, (you’ll go) 0 for 4 and then you will see, Papi. Nobody will see you.”
The Braves’ faith in Ozuna was rewarded with a stunning turnaround that began roughly a year ago, after the calendar flipped from April to May. He posted 40 homers and 100 RBIs last season, becoming a vital cog in a fearsome Atlanta lineup that tied the major league record for homers in a season (307).
Ozuna is on pace for even loftier numbers this season and is emerging as Ohtani’s most prominent challenger in the NL MVP race. The cumulative numbers since the start of the previous May are staggering: 50 homers, 136 RBIs, and a .301 average.
Chris Sale, who pitched six scoreless innings in Atlanta’s latest win, loves watching Ozuna at the plate, but he’s just as impressed by what he sees when no one is around. “He’s got like a magnetic field around him,” Sale said. “You just wanna be around him. He’s a fun guy to play with. He keeps the energy up in the clubhouse, in the dugout, on the bus, on the plane.”
Sale, who has experienced his own share of ups and downs in his career, appreciates the way Ozuna dealt with adversity. “He went through some struggles,” Sale said. “For him to be able to put all that aside and grind it out, be where he finished last year and then pick up right where he left off, that says a lot about him, who he is as a person, as much as it says who he is as a baseball player.”
For Ozuna, he said he remains focused on maintaining his level of play and avoiding complacency — knowing all too well how quickly fortunes can change in the world of baseball.