Marcell Ozuna Has A New Setup at the Plate

This article started out with me wanting to write about some stat leaders that stood out to me after a month of games. Once I got to Ozuna (the RBI leader) I fell down a rabbit hole of breaking down his swing, so this is now a Marcell Ozuna article.

Remember early last season when people thought the Braves were going to get rid of Ozuna? Well, this season has started very differently, he's absolutely raking. He leads baseball with 33 RBIs and has a .986 OPS (3rd best OPS behind Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts).

Ozuna's been one of the hottest hitters to start 2024. It's the complete opposite of how he started the season last year. Ozuna had 40 RBI in the entire first half of 2023.

The Braves offense hasn't fully clicked yet but Ozuna has been able to drive in runs at an insane rate. He's driven in 21% of Atlanta's runs so far this year (33 of 156).

One thing that stands out with Ozuna is his improved quality of contact. He's hitting the ball harder, hitting less grounders, and making better swing decisions. He seems more comfortable and athletic in 2024 and he isn't in between with his approach.

He's always been a great fastball hitter but this season he's crushing them. He's made a big improvement against sliders too, hitting them on the ground 18% less than he did in 2023 (45% -> 27%). More balls in the air has led to a wOBA increase from .351 -> .490 against sliders.

Looking at Ozuna's set up at the plate, there are some small changes he's made that have helped him get his barrel into the zone quicker and stay on his back leg better. That's led to more balls in the air and harder contact, the recipe for success.

Full swing (normal speed + slow motion)

I'll break it down more with pictures too but this video shows Ozuna against Gus Varland in 2023 and 2024. Pay attention to:

• Ozuna's feet (starting more open)

• Hand tilt (bat is tilted slightly towards 1B before the pitch, also known as the Matt Olson)

• Lower hand placement leading to less hand movement in his swing

Before the Pitch

Ozuna is starting more open in 2024. It's not a huge difference but it's helped him keep his top half closed longer and keep his weight on his back leg.

Toe Tap

Hands are lower and Ozuna is crouched down a little more.

The open-side really shows how much lower his hands are and how much further back they are in 2024.

Leg Lift Apex

His elbow is behind his knee in 2024. It's a combination of his leg lift being higher and his hands lower.

Foot Plant

The bat is in a better position to get to the zone quickly in 2024. He can be more direct and keep the bat in the zone longer.

Ozuna's always been a streaky player so it'll be interesting to see if he keeps up this hot start. Pitchers will have to start attacking him with more breaking balls and offspeed pitches. You can't let him beat you on a fastball.

I don't think many people would have bet on Ozuna to lead the league, or even his own team, in RBIs after 32 games. He obviously put in work in the off-season to improve his swing and it's paid off.