Marcell Ozuna, St. Louis Cardinals
One would’ve imagined that Marcell Ozuna was due for some regression in 2018 after seeing his homer total (37), BABIP (.355), ground-ball rate (47.1%) from the year before with the Miami Marlins. He did take a step back from an overall standpoint (23 homers, .309 BABIP, 47.1% ground-ball rate) but also dealt with a shoulder injury that hindered his production.
Getting his Cardinals career off to a not-so-hot start over the first two months wasn’t helpful, either. Through the end of May, he slashed .260/.308/.337 with just three homers and 23 RBI. Ozuna posted a 44.5% hard-hit rate, but it was accompanied by a 51.6% ground-ball rate and 29.0% fly-ball rate. Although the outfielder missed time with an injury, his final four months were much better: a .290/.334/.482 triple slash with 20 homers, 65 RBI, a 45.5% hard-hit rate, 44.9% ground-ball rate, and 37.7% fly-ball rate.
The situation in St. Louis has changed, too. When Ozuna broke out in ’17 with Miami, he didn’t have to be the “man” in the lineup because Giancarlo Stanton hit 59 homers en route to winning NL MVP honors. Instead of being the main attraction for the Cardinals from a run-producing standpoint, new first baseman Paul Goldschmidt should help alleviate some of that pressure.
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