Atlanta Braves: The Upward Trajectory of Marcell Ozuna

Optimism for Ozuna

We’ll start with his arm. The former gold-glover was nagged by fans about his throwing arm as a result of a nagging case of tendinitis accompanied by inflammation. How badly did it affect his arm?

In 2015, his average velocity was just a tick over 92 mph, which was good enough to place him in the top tenth of Major League outfielders.

In 2018 that number had dropped to 78 mph, or last place.

By April of 2019, Ozuna admitted his arm was at about 55% health-wise. He had offseason surgery to clean it up and appeared to have made improvements over his 2018 season. Hopefully his arm will be in good shape for the Braves in 2020.

Flyballs + Power = Dingers

Ozuna ranked in the 93rd percentile in exit velocity and 96th in hard-hit percentage in 2019.
Last season Ozuna was right near his career average with 35.2% of his batted-balls being hit in the air.

Ozuna greatly improved his HR/FB ratio over 2018’s down year. In 2018 he converted just 13.9% of his flyballs into homers. Last season, he converted the second-highest number of his career with 22.1% of his flyballs leaving the yard.

Remember, in 2017 he hit 37 homers with a 23.4% HR/FB ratio.

These hard-hit flyballs translated to the second-highest home run total of his career, and he only played in 130 games.

In his 37-homer season, Ozuna hit a home run ever 16.5 at-bats.

Last season, Ozuna hit a home run every 16.7 at-bats.