3. Atlanta Braves Player to Worry About: Marcell Ozuna
Many people might wonder, why would you put Marcell Ozuna on this list? He's in the middle of a 15-game hit streak! Since April he has been a beast! WHY?
Let me tell you.
First of all, do you remember that really bad stretch he had... you know 2021 and 2022? Over those two seasons, Ozuna hit .222 with a .675 OPS.
Prior to this season, fans were calling for his permanent benching or trading. He was Alex Anthopoulos' free pass when fans spoke of his big-money, four-year contract. He validated all of the doubts with what had to be one of the worst months in the history of baseball. Ozuna finished with a .085 batting average and two RBI. It's not like he barely played, Ozuna appeared in 18 games in the first month of the season.
Thankfully, he figured something out and got his swing going in May. He was one of the best hitters on the club in the month of May. It was the polar opposite of what we saw in April (and the previous two years). After posting another strong month in June, he kind of fell off in July. In July, he hit just .209 with a .250 OBP. As good as we think Ozuna has been since April, he was conspicuously absent from our 10 Best Braves in July list.
Ozuna is on fire again in August, and we hope it continues. However, he has been more bad than good over the past few seasons. We hope this isn't just a hot streak that could leave him prone to going ice-cold down the stretch, but it wouldn't be terribly surprising.