The big bear has been the Braves’ most consistent hitter in 2024, but that doesn’t mean he should win NL MVP.
There’s no disputing the boost Marcell Ozuna has given the Atlanta Braves in 2024. This season, the big bear has been by far the most consistent bat in the Braves lineup. Despite his amazing accomplishments (including flirting with the first Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera in 2012), Ozuna is not the MVP candidate many believe he is.
There are several reasons why Ozuna is unlikely to win consecutive games for the Braves. Whether it’s his positional value or simply the competition he faces, we’ll go over all the reasons why Ozuna will not be MVP this season.
No Designated Hitter has ever won MVP
As we all know, baseball is not a game in which value is solely found at the plate. Hitting production may be the most important aspect of the formula, but winning MVP demands additional ingredients. Last season, Ronald Acuna Jr. caused mayhem on the bases to support his MVP campaign.
Then there are times where players like Mookie Betts won the award due to his well-rounded game. His hitting, fielding, and baserunning abilities all contributed to his selection as the 2018 American League MVP.
That is why no player has ever earned MVP while only playing as a designated hitter. The closest we’ve seen was in 1979, when Don Baylor played DH in only 40% of the Angels’ games.
Shohei Ohtani is Ozuna…but better
While we spent all of that time demonstrating how impossible it is to win MVP as a full-time DH, we now introduce a player Ozuna himself refers to as a “robot.” If a DH could ever win this honor, it would have to be Shohei Ohtani, a generational great.
“I don’t worry about it because on the other side, everybody knows there is a robot. Ohtani is a robot.”
Marcell Ozuna on if he keeps track of the Triple Crown🔊 pic.twitter.com/KvsLSKj9Hf
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) August 21, 2024
Make no mistake, Ozuna has put together some gaudy numbers in 2024. He currently sports a .307/.378/.583 slash line, with a wOBA over .400, and 163 wRC+, and 4.3 fWAR which would be his highest in a season since his final season with the Marlins back in 2017.
However, Ohtani takes those numbers up ever so slightly. Entering today Ohtani is sporting a .292/.379/.615 slash line, an absurd .440 xwOBA, and 6.3 fWAR. Although they have similar power numbers, Ohtani has been MUCH more disruptive on the basepaths. Ohtani’s 40 stolen bases has him flirting with MLB’s first ever 50/50 season.
Plenty of other NL MVP options
As of this writing, four National League players have a greater Fangraphs WAR than Marcell Ozuna. These players include Francisco Lindor (6.5 fWAR), Shohei Ohtani (6.3 fWAR), Elly De La Cruz (5.9 fWAR), and Ketel Marte (5.4 fWAR).
We appreciate that WAR isn’t the be-all and end-all of MVP voting, but it does demonstrate how each of these candidates contributed to their teams’ success in 2024. Lindor has been one of the game’s top defenders, and his consistency at the plate has kept the injury-plagued Mets in contention for the playoffs.
Elly De La Cruz has stolen the most bases in the league, with 61. All while being a solid defender and a powerful hitter for the Reds. Then there’s Ketel Marte, whose all-around dominance has the defending National League champions playing their best baseball of the season right now.
Regardless, Ozuna has demonstrated that he deserves to be recognized as an MVP candidate. More importantly, he has reestablished himself as one of baseball’s most feared right-handers. That is precisely why the decision to bring Ozuna back in 2025 becomes increasingly evident with each passing day.