Atlanta Braves fans have been disappointed with Marcell Ozuna over the past two seasons. He vied for the MVP in the 2020 COVID-shortened season and earned himself a three-year deal. Since then, things have not gone as planned.

How Good Was Marcell Ozuna for the Braves in 2020?

Ozuna led the league in home runs (18), RBI (56), and total bases (145) in the shortened 2020 season. He slashed .338/.431/.636 winning a Silver Slugger Award and finishing sixth in MVP voting.

How Bad Has Marcell Ozuna Been for Braves Since 2020?

After signing his three-year contract with the Braves in the glorious wake of this spectacular 2020 campaign, Ozuna has more than struggled. Between 2021 and 2022, His average is a miserable .222. His OBP is a disastrous .278. His slugging percentage is a wimpy .397. He has also had some injuries and off-the-field issues with a domestic violence arrest (charges dropped by prosecutors) and a DUI.

How Good Has Marcell Ozuna Been for Braves in May?

Ozuna’s April was something to forget. He was routinely being booed off the field by Atlanta Braves fans. Ozuna finished April with a .085 batting average with two homers and two runs batted in.

Something clicked for the former All-Star in May. Since the start of the new month, Ozuna has been a completely different ball player. The Braves started the month with a road trip to Miami. Ozuna began his career and made his name in Miami. Something about coming home to his old stomping grounds appears to have awakened the beast inside. Ozuna started all three games of the series (which the Braves swept) and blasted three homers while driving in six. Most of that damage was done in the second game of the series when he hit two homers and drove in five in a 14-6 win for the Braves

The locomotive kept rolling out of Miami and back to Atlanta. Ozuna’s homer yesterday tied him for the league lead in dingers for the month of May with five. He’s tied for 10th in RBI, He has the hardest-hit ball on the Braves in the month of May at 115.3 mph. His 229 wRC+ is BY FAR the teal lead, towering over Sean Murphy‘s second-place 168.

Time to Add Marcell Ozuna to Your Fantasy Team Now

Ozuna has always been a streaky player, but injuries and off-field issues have prevented him from focusing and working his way out of his slumps.

One thing that bodes well for Ozuna’s May performance moving forward is his walk rate. Ozuna has walked in 16.7% of his plate appearances in the month while striking out in just 11% of his PAs.

Ozuna has an insane 41.7% HR/FB ratio in May. 42% of his flyballs have landed beyond the wall! While he probably won’t continue that sort of success on flyballs, it’s an indicator that he has been seeing the ball well and squaring it up.

As bad as Ozuna has been over the past two seasons, he has still put up the counting stats you need in fantasy. Despite his .675 OPS during that time, he had a 162-game average of 28 HRs and 78 RBI.

If Ozuna has had time to re-focus and work out the kinks, he’s most definitely worth adding to your fantasy rosters. Even at his worst, he puts up power numbers. At his best, he’s an MVP candidate. This hot streak is worth noting.

It gives Braves fans hope for that he will bring an impact bat the rest of the season. As for fantasy players, at worst he’ll put up the counting power numbers, at best he’s an MVP candidate.

Ozuna is tied with Acuna Jr. for fourth on the team in total homers this season with seven. Both players are currently on pace for 29 homers this season. Ozuna has played in 14 fewer games than Acuna Jr.

At the very least, this hot streak is real. Jump in while the water is hot.