Marcell Ozuna facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marcell Ozuna |
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Ozuna with the Atlanta Braves in 2021
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| Atlanta Braves – No. 20 | |||
| Designated hitter / Outfielder | |||
| Born: November 12, 1990 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
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| debut | |||
| April 30, 2013, for the Miami Marlins | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) |
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| Batting average | .272 | ||
| Hits | 1,514 | ||
| Home runs | 275 | ||
| Runs batted in | 880 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Marcell Ozuna Idelfonso (born November 12, 1990), also known as "the Big Bear", is a professional baseball player from the Dominican Republic. He plays as a designated hitter and outfielder for the Atlanta Braves in Major League Baseball (MLB). Before joining the Braves, he played for the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals. He started his MLB career in 2013.
Marcell Ozuna is a three-time MLB All-Star. He won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award in 2017. That year was a great one for him, as he had a high batting average, many home runs, and lots of RBIs. After the 2017 season, the Marlins traded Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2020, he led the National League in both home runs and RBIs.
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Early Life and Family
Marcell Ozuna was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. His father used to be a painter, and his mother works as a housekeeper. He has one brother and two sisters. Did you know his cousin, Pablo Ozuna, also played in MLB?
Professional Baseball Career
Starting in the Minor Leagues
On February 15, 2008, the Miami Marlins signed Ozuna. He was an international free agent and received a $49,000 bonus. That year, he played for the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Marlins. In 63 games, he hit .279 with six home runs and 43 RBIs. He also stole eight bases. In 2009, he played for the GCL Marlins. He hit .313 with five home runs and 39 RBIs in 55 games.
Ozuna started 2010 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers. This is a Class A team. He had to stop playing for a bit because of a wrist injury. He returned in June with the Jamestown Jammers. In 74 games that season, he hit .258 with 22 home runs and 62 RBIs. Ozuna spent 2011 with Greensboro. He hit .266 with 23 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases in 131 games.
In 2012, Ozuna moved up to the Jupiter Hammerheads. This is a Class A-Advanced team. In 129 games, he hit .266 with 24 home runs and 95 RBIs. That year, he led the Florida State League in home runs, RBIs, runs scored, and total bases. On November 20, 2012, Ozuna was added to the Marlins' 40-man roster. Before the 2013 season, Baseball America ranked Ozuna as the 75th best prospect in baseball.
Ozuna began 2013 with Jupiter. After just four games, he was promoted to the Jacksonville Suns. This is a Class AA team. On April 29, 2013, Ozuna was named the league's player of the week. On the same day, the Marlins called him up to the major leagues. This happened because Giancarlo Stanton was injured.
Playing for the Miami Marlins (2013–2017)
On April 30, 2013, Ozuna played his first major league game. He got his first hit, a single, against Jeremy Hefner of the New York Mets. In his fifth game, he hit his first career home run. This was a solo home run against Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies. Ozuna played as the starting right fielder while Stanton was out. When Stanton came back, Ozuna became the starting center fielder. On July 22, Ozuna was sent back to Jacksonville. However, he was placed on the disabled list instead. He had a thumb injury from making a diving catch. On July 26, 2013, he had surgery on his thumb, which ended his season.
In 2014, Ozuna played 153 games for the Marlins. He batted .269 with 23 home runs and 85 RBIs. On September 11, 2014, he hit home runs in four games in a row. This tied a team record.
On July 5, 2015, Ozuna was sent to a AAA team. This was after he struggled to get hits. He played 33 games there and batted .333 with five home runs. He then returned to the Marlins. He finished the 2015 season batting .278 with six home runs and 18 RBIs.
During the off-season, other teams wanted to trade for Ozuna. But he stayed with the Marlins for the 2016 season. He was placed in the number-two spot in the batting lineup.
In 2017, Ozuna was named NL Player of the Week. This was for the week of April 10–16. He batted .435 with four home runs and 12 RBIs.
Ozuna was chosen to start for the National League in the 2017 MLB All-Star Game. He had a great year, setting new personal bests. He batted .312 with 37 home runs and 124 RBIs. He was named NL Player of the Week again in September. This was after he batted .500 with three home runs and seven RBIs.
Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals (2018–2019)
On December 14, 2017, the Marlins traded Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals. In return, the Marlins received four other players. On January 12, 2018, Ozuna and the Cardinals agreed on a one-year contract. Before the 2018 season, MLB.com said Ozuna was the best left fielder in the major leagues. They noted he was a strong fielder.
On June 2, 2018, Ozuna hit his 100th career home run. This happened in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The next day, he hit a grand slam in a 5–0 win against the Pirates.
Ozuna was named NL Player of the Week for the week of June 11–17. He hit .455 with four home runs and eight RBIs in six games. This was his third Player of the Week award. On July 30, 2018, Ozuna hit his first walk-off home run. This was a solo shot in the 10th inning. It helped St. Louis beat the Colorado Rockies 5–4. Ozuna finished his first season in St. Louis batting .280 with 23 home runs and 88 RBIs. He played in 148 games.
Ozuna was placed on the injured list on June 29, 2019, due to a finger injury. He returned to play on August 3. In 130 regular season games, Ozuna hit 29 home runs and 89 RBIs.
The Cardinals reached the 2019 National League Division Series. This was Ozuna's first time playing in the postseason. In five games against the Atlanta Braves, Ozuna hit .429 with nine hits and five RBIs.
Playing for the Atlanta Braves (2020–present)
On January 21, 2020, Ozuna signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves. The contract was worth $18 million.
On July 24, Ozuna was the starting left fielder for the Braves on Opening Day. On September 1, he made history. He became the first National League player to hit three home runs in one game at Fenway Park. He also reached 1,000 career MLB hits. In the next game, his teammate Adam Duvall also hit three home runs. This made Ozuna and Duvall the first teammates in MLB history to hit three home runs each in back-to-back games.
In 2020, Ozuna had a batting average of .338. He led the National League with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs. Ozuna won his second Silver Slugger Award after the 2020 season. This was the first Silver Slugger for a designated hitter in the National League. This rule was used during the shorter 2020 season.
On February 5, 2021, Ozuna re-signed with the Braves. He signed a four-year, $64 million deal. The Braves finished with an 88–73 record. They won the NL East division. They eventually won the 2021 World Series, their first title since 1995.
In the 2022 season, he played 124 games. He hit 23 home runs and batted .226. In the 2023 season, Ozuna hit two home runs in the final regular-season game. This brought his total to a career-high 40 home runs. Ozuna's two home runs on October 1 helped the 2023 Atlanta Braves tie a record. They tied the 2019 Minnesota Twins for the most home runs hit in a season. During the 2024 season, Ozuna was a key player for the Braves. He finished 4th in the NL MVP Voting. He ended his season batting .302 with 39 home runs and 104 RBIs.
Personal Life
Ozuna is married to Genesis Guzman. As of May 2017, they have three children.
See also
In Spanish: Marcell Ozuna para niños
- Atlanta Braves award winners and league leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
- Miami Marlins award winners and league leaders
