RADIO
Marcell Ozuna 2020 Outlook: Underwhelming Year Becomes A Gift
5 years agoEveryone longs for a repeat of 2017 for Marcell Ozuna, but they fail to appreciate serviceable performances. Despite a year with struggles, there are multiple reasons to take advantage of his depreciation. Ozuna’s 2019 season wasn’t too far off, statistically, from his performance in 2018. Actually, he had better counting stats across the board. He hit 29 home runs with 89 RBI. Ozuna even snuck in 12 stolen bases last season, though he isn’t very fast (27.4 ft/sec) However, bad luck led to a career-worst .243 batting average. Specifically, the results weren’t good facing southpaws. A career .290 hitter versus lefties, Ozuna’s .217 AVG against them in 2019 was anchored by a .226 BABIP. He was even more unlucky in September (.155 BABIP). 2020 looks like a return to fantasy goodness for Ozuna. To start, he signed with the Atlanta Braves and falls right into a great lineup, presumably behind Freddie Freeman. As such, the counting stats may have a chance of reaching his 2017 numbers, especially if he maintains an 11.3% walk rate and a 12.6% Brls/BBE. With minimal bad luck, 2020 can potentially be a career-year. Everyone has an opportunity to benefit from his bounce-back thanks to an ADP of 109.
