Marcell Ozuna Idelfonso (born November 12, 1990), nicknamed "The Big Bear", is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

and St. Louis Cardinals. He made his MLB debut in 2013 with the Marlins. Ozuna was signed by the Marlins as an amateur free agent in 2008. He is a two-time MLB All-Star (

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

), and won both a

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

and a Silver Slugger Award in 2017, his breakout season. That year, he finished fourth in the National League (NL) in batting average (.312), and third in

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

(37) and runs batted in (124). Following the 2017 season, the Marlins traded Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2020 he led the NL in both home runs and RBIs.

Early life and family

Marcell Ozuna Idelfonso was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. His father is a former painter, and his mother is a housekeeper. He has one brother and two sisters. He is the cousin of former MLB player

Pablo Ozuna Pablo José Ozuna (born August 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball utility player. During his major league career, he played for the Florida Marlins (, ), the Colorado Rockies (), the Chicago White Sox (–), and the Los Angele ...

Professional career

Minor leagues

On February 15, 2008, the Florida Marlins signed Ozuna as an international free agent with a $49,000 bonus. He played for the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Marlins that year, where in 63 games, he hit .279 with six home runs and 43 runs batted in (RBIs) and eight

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s. In 2009, he played for the GCL Marlins, where in 55 games, he hit .313 with five home runs and 39 RBIs. Ozuna began 2010 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the Class A South Atlantic League, but was sidelined after six appearances with an injured wrist. He returned in June with Short Season Jamestown, where he finished the season. In 74 total games, he hit .258 with 22 home runs and 62 RBIs. Ozuna spent 2011 with Greensboro, where he hit .266 with 23 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases over 131 games. IMG 0019 Marcell Ozuna

Ozuna was promoted to

Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter, Florida, Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home game ...

of the Class A-Advanced

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

for the 2012 season, where in 129 games, he hit .266 with 24 home runs and 95 RBIs. That year, he led the

in home runs, RBIs, runs scored, and total bases. Ozuna was added to the Marlins' 40-man roster on November 20, 2012. ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

'' rated Ozuna the 75th-best prospect in baseball prior to the 2013 season. Ozuna opened 2013 with Jupiter, but after four games, he was promoted to the Jacksonville Suns of the Class AA Southern League. Ozuna was named the league's player of the week on April 29, 2013. That same day, the Marlins promoted Ozuna to the major leagues following an injury to Giancarlo Stanton.

Miami Marlins (2013–2017)

On April 30,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, Ozuna made his major league debut, and recorded his first career hit, a single off

Jeremy Hefner Jeremy Scott Hefner (born March 11, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the New York Mets, and has previously coached for the Minn ...

of the New York Mets. He hit his first career home run (as well as his first RBI and run scored), a solo home run, off Cole Hamels of the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, in his fifth game. Ozuna was used as the starting right fielder in Stanton's absence. When Stanton returned, Ozuna became the starting center fielder. On July 22, Ozuna was optioned back to Jacksonville. Instead of joining Jacksonville, Ozuna was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a ligament tear and avulsion fracture in his left thumb, which he injured while making a diving catch. On July 26, 2013, he underwent season-ending thumb surgery. In

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, Ozuna played a total of 153 games for the Marlins, batting .269 with 23 home runs and 85 RBIs. On September 11, 2014, he tied a franchise record with home runs in four consecutive games. On July 5, 2015, Ozuna was sent down to AAA after going hitless in nine of ten games, dipping his average to .249 on the season. After playing 33 games and batting .333 with five home runs and 11 RBIs, he returned to the Marlins to complete the 2015 season, batting .278 with six home runs and 18 RBI. Marcell Ozuna on April 11, 2016

During the off-season, the Marlins received several offers for him from other teams, but he was back on the roster for the 2016 season and inserted in the number-two spot in the lineup. In

, Ozuna was named

NL Player of the Week In Major League Baseball (MLB), the Player of the Week Award is given weekly during the regular season to two outstanding players, one each in the National League (NL) and American League (AL). The NL first awarded the honor during the season, an ...

for the week of April 10–16 after batting .435 with four home runs, 12 RBIs, and a 1.481 OPS. Ozuna was named a starter for the NL in the

2017 MLB All-Star Game The 2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 88th edition of the Major League Baseball All Star Game. The game was hosted by the Miami Marlins and was played at Marlins Park on July 11, 2017. It was televised nationally by Fox. The game w ...

. Of the NL All-Star selections, he was one of eight to hit at least 35 home runs, but Ozuna was one of just four to walk at a rate of at least nine percent while striking out less than 22 percent. He established career highs in numerous categories, including batting .312 with 37 home runs and 124 RBI. He was named the NL Player of the Week along with teammate Giancarlo Stanton once again for the week of September 18–24 after batting .500 (10–20) with three home runs, seven RBIs, and six runs scored.

St. Louis Cardinals (2018–2019)

On December 14, 2017, the Marlins traded Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals for Sandy Alcántara,

Magneuris Sierra Magneuris Sierra (born April 7, 1996) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder in the Atlanta Braves organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels. ...

Zac Gallen Zachary Peter Gallen (born August 3, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins in 2019. Early life Gallen was born on August 3, 1 ...

, and

Daniel Castano Daniel Alexander Castano (born September 17, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Miami Marlins organization. He made his MLB debut in 2020. Amateur career Castano attended Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas. During ...

. On January 12, 2018, it was announced that the Cardinals and Ozuna reached agreement on a one-year, $9 million contract. Prior to the 2018 season, Mike Petriello of MLB.com rated Ozuna the best left fielder in the major leagues, opining him as "a strong fielder," and averaging the 12th-highest

exit velocity In baseball statistics, exit velocity (EV) is the estimated speed at which a batted ball is travelling as it is coming off the player's bat. Batters generally aim for a higher exit velocity in order to give opposing fielders less time to react ...

[] over the prior three seasons of all hitters with at least 1,000 plate appearances. On June 2, 2018, Ozuna hit his 100th career home run off Chad Kuhl, in a 3–2 victory versus the 2018 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Pittsburgh Pirates, and first home run at Busch Stadium as a member of the Cardinals. The following day, he hit a grand slam in a 5–0 win versus the Pirates. He was named

for the week of June 11–17, hitting .455/.478/1.000 (10-for-22, 1.478 OPS), with four home runs and eight RBIs in six games. This is his third Player of the Week award after winning it twice with the Miami Marlins during the 2017 season, in mid-April and early September. On July 30, 2018, at Busch Stadium versus the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

, Ozuna hit his first walk-off home run, a solo shot in the 10th inning, helping St. Louis defeat the Rockies 5–4. Ozuna finished his first season in St. Louis batting .280 with 23 home runs and 88 RBIs in 148 games. Ozuna was placed on the

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

on June 29, 2019, with a finger fracture, and was activated on August 3. Over 130 regular season games and 485 at bats, Ozuna slashed .243/.330/.804 with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs. With the Cardinals reaching the

2019 National League Division Series The 2019 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-games series in Major League Baseball (MLB) to determine the participating teams of the 2019 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners, seeded first through thi ...

, Ozuna played in his first career postseason series. In the five games against the Atlanta Braves, Ozuna hit .429 with 9 hits and 5 RBI.

Atlanta Braves (2020–present)

On January 21, 2020, Ozuna signed a one-year contract worth $18 million with the Atlanta Braves. On July 24, Ozuna was the starting left fielder, making his Braves debut on Opening Day. On September 1, he became the first National League player to hit three home runs in one game at Fenway Park, and also reached 1,000 MLB career hits. When

Adam Duvall Adam Lynn Duvall (born September 4, 1988) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He played college baseball at the University of Louisville. Duvall was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 11th round of the 201 ...

hit three home runs in the next game, also against the Boston Red Sox, Ozuna and Duvall became the first teammates in Major League Baseball history to have hit three home runs each in consecutive games. In 2020 he batted .338/.431/.636 (each 3rd in the NL) with an NL-leading 18 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 145 total bases during the shortened 60-game season. Ozuna won his second Silver Slugger Award after the season; it was the first-ever Silver Slugger for designated hitter in the National League as a result of the universal DH rule implemented league-wide during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 season. On February 5, 2021, Ozuna re-signed with the Braves with a four-year, $64 million deal. On September 9, Ozuna was put on administrative leave due to

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

allegations. He did not play for the remainder of the season. The Braves finished with an 88-73 record, clinching the NL East, and eventually won the

2021 World Series The 2021 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2021 season. The 117th World Series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Atlanta Braves and the American League (AL) champion H ...

, their first title since

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

Personal life

Ozuna is married to Genesis Guzman. As of May 2017, the couple has three children. On May 29, 2021, Ozuna was arrested and charged with aggravated assault by strangulation and battery after Sandy Springs Police witnessed him grabbing his wife by the neck and throwing her against a wall. The charges were later withdrawn after a review by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office which concluded the charges didn’t agree with the video evidence. This resulted in Ozuna receiving a 20-game suspension which he served retroactively during the season. At 4 A.M. on August 19, 2022, Ozuna was arrested again and charged with driving under the influence after Norcross Police noticed his inability to stay in lane.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ozuna, Marcell 1990 births Living people Atlanta Braves players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Marlins players Jacksonville Suns players Jamestown Jammers players Jupiter Hammerheads players Gigantes del Cibao players Gold Glove Award winners Greensboro Grasshoppers players Gulf Coast Marlins players Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Miami Marlins players National League All-Stars National League home run champions National League RBI champions Silver Slugger Award winners St. Louis Cardinals players Sportspeople from Santo Domingo