Marcell Ozuna

2018

Subscribe now to see our 2018 outlook.

2017

Ozuna rebounded from a disappointing 2015 campaign to essentially match his breakout 2014 season, showing latent skills growth in the process. The 26-year-old's future is back on the upswing. He walked more and whiffed significantly less than in the previous season. It's the improved contact rate that's most intriguing. The only negative last season was a 20-point drop in BABIP for the second straight year. Assuming a great deal of that is variance, if Ozuna maintains most or all his contact gains, what looks to be a stable average in the .265 range could head north quickly with a BABIP reversion. While the power drop in 2015 can't be ignored, it can be discounted meaning there could be a buying opportunity if the market doesn't similarly adjust. Plus, Ozuna is lofting a few more flyballs away from challenging the 30-homer mark, and he's at an age where this often occurs. Don't hesitate to cast a line toward him.

2016

The power Ozuna showed in 2014 dissipated in 2015, as he hit just 10 home runs in 494 plate appearances and saw his slugging percentage dip below .400 for the second time in three years. Ozuna’s performance was so poor that the Marlins stashed him in the minors for 33 games, likely in an extremely Marlins attempt to game his service time clock. Giving up on Ozuna at this point would be a grave overreaction, however; he was a 24-year-old playing in one of the most difficult parks for power hitters in the game’s recent history. Slumps will happen. Counting the minor leagues, Ozuna has four 20-homer seasons in the past six years, and he’s far too young to give up on. His strikeout rates are concerning — he has yet to post one below 19.6 percent — but if the power he showed in 2014 and in the minors resurfaces, everybody will forget all about that right quick.

2015

A surprise offensive breakout player during his 2013 rookie campaign, Ozuna managed to sneak up on us once again in 2014 as he made significant strides in most every aspect of his game. The 24-year-old outfielder re-discovered the power stroke he displayed throughout the minors and socked 23 home runs to go along with 26 doubles and five triples while tallying 83 RBI over 153 games during his first full season in the majors. Ozuna continued to swing and miss with regularity (26.8 K%), but also showed a slight increase in walk rate (6.7% in 2014 compared to 4.5% as a rookie). He continues to provide steady defense in the outfield and has settled in as the full-time center fielder after the team tried to mix and match defensive alignments early on. Ozuna should be fully recover from the ankle injury that cost him the last two weeks in September by the time camp rolls around, and he'll enter the season with ample RBI opportunities while batting in the middle of the Marlins’ order.

2014

Ozuna turned heads when he got the nod over some of the Marlins' more accomplished outfield prospects in late May and perhaps his presence on the 40-man roster played a role. Ozuna did, however, make the most of his opportunity, putting together a BABIP-fueled tear where he batted .336 over his first 33 games with the Marlins. More of a power prospect than a contact hitter -- Ozuna popped one home run every 20.9 at-bats in minors with a strikeout rate hovering around 20% -- it was no surprise to see his line dip to .265/.303/.389 before he was finally shut down with a thumb injury that required surgery in late July. Despite struggling during the end of his run in Miami, Ozuna gained some valuable experience as an everyday player, contributing solid defense in the outfield and showing the ability to handle right-handed pitching at the major league level. He is not quite of the Christian Yelich/Jake Marisnick ilk, but with a reduced strikeout rate, improved patience at the plate and some more authoritative contact, Ozuna could threaten 20 home runs annually as he hits his prime. Heading into the spring, Ozuna looks to be the favorite to earn the starting job in center field with Miami as he enters his sophomore season.

2013

Ozuna spent his 2012 season at High-A Jupiter and followed up his fine season the previous year with more of the same. He continues to flash plus power, slugging 24 home runs over 489 at-bats last season while posting a strong .804 OPS. Ozuna has mashed 69 home runs over three minor league seasons and appears ready to take a jump to the next level in 2013. Though his 116 strikeouts in 129 games last season lend doubt to the notion that he will ever provide positive value in terms of batting average, his power is absolutely for real. Keeper league owners should invest now, as he'll likely spend his 2013 season at Double-A Jacksonville.

2012

Ozuna is no Mike Stanton, but the 21-year-old has plus-power and began to develop other aspects of his game in 2011, upping his walk rate, cutting back on the strikeouts and stealing an impressive 17 bases in 19 attempts at Low-A. The plate discipline is still a work in progress, and Jupiter can be a tough place to hit so don't be shocked if his numbers at High-A take a bit of a tumble, but he's a legitimate prospect who would be among the best in the Marlins system even if it weren't depleted.