The Braves’ wild 2024 season might include an unexpected trip to the All-Star Game.

In 2024, the designated hitter for Atlanta has earned the opportunity to start the MLB All-Star Game.
The supporters of the Atlanta Braves were hoping that Marcell Ozuna, the designated hitter, would have another fantastic season. But they couldn’t have predicted him to be THIS talented. In the early competition for the NL MVP, Ozuna is challenging perhaps the finest player in baseball.

Although it’s well knowledge that Shohei Ohtani is a unique player, Marcell Ozuna is astoundingly exceeding him in a number of statistical categories. That is a crazy statement to make, given that supporters were willing to see the team DFA Ozuna because of their subpar play.

Because of his remarkable turnaround, Ozuna has gained the respect of both Braves supporters and his teammates. It’s evident that he made progress both on and off the field.

The Braves’ wild 2024 season might include an unexpected trip to the All-Star Game.
With the first round of voting for the 2024 MLB All-Star game just concluded, Ozuna came in second among NL designated hitters in the preliminary results. In 2023, Atlanta qualified six position players for the All-Star game; this season, Ozuna might be the only one.

Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez ought to be represented in Atlanta as well. This season, they have both been outstanding members of the Braves rotation.

But if Ozuna is going to start in the All-Star game, he has a mountain to climb. Shohei Ohtani, who received more than a million votes after the first phase, is half a million votes ahead of him. Marcell has put in a lot of effort to keep up this caliber of play, thus he deserves to start the All-Star game.

The bad news for Ozuna is that most fans don’t really give a damn about it; all they want is to see the big names at the Summer Classic. Marcell has earned the right to start, but there’s little doubt that he will at least make the squad.

Back on June 17, Ozuna was leading the National League in every triple-crown category (HR, RBI, and OPS), which is amazing. Though it’s still very close, Ohtani has now passed him in a couple of those.

With 20 HR (second in the NL), 63 RBI (first in the NL), and a.989 OPS (second in the NL), Ozuna is hitting.316/.390/.599 at the plate. The Braves owe their survival in the division and wild card races largely to him, who has been incredibly effective.

The Atlanta offense had undoubtedly struggled throughout the first few months, but Ozuna was a consistent presence and always seemed to step up in crucial situations. Fortunately, things are going well because the offense has begun to gain momentum.

Marcell has been locked since the first game of 2024 and has played 72 games thus far. He would have most likely had comparable stats after 72 games of the previous season if he hadn’t faltered through the first month of 2023.

He had a.246/.321/.473 line through 72 games in 2023, with 17 home runs, 40 RBI, and a.794 OPS. On July 8, 2023, he attained the milestone of 72 games; however, by June 20, 2024, he had already achieved the milestone. Given how important he has been to the team’s success, Atlanta has neither wanted nor needed to give him days off.

Ozuna has gained back the respect of the organization, his peers, and Braves fans. He worked hard to improve those things and has taken the necessary accountability. He also worked hard to get himself back to the player Atlanta expected when they signed him to a multi-year contract.

He’s become a huge part of this team and has helped many Braves players get through tough slumps and keeps a positive energy around the clubhouse. A recent example showing how great of a teammate Marcell is occurred when Forrest Wall was recalled to Atlanta. Ozuna gifted Wall and Zack Short one of his pro-model Louisville Slugger bats.

Ozuna was asked what the purpose of gifting them a bat was and responded with “Some of these guys who come up, I just want them to have a nice bat. I want them to feel included. It’s just something I do.”

Short and Wall stated how great of a mentor Ozuna has been for so many in the clubhouse this season. That shows you that he has worked hard to be a great part of this organization on and off the field. Wall also used that bat during Monday’s game against the Tigers and drove in the game-tying run.

There is a great argument for Ozuna to be the starting designated hitter for the All-Star game. It would be his third All-Star appearance and his first since 2017. He’s done everything you’d expect from a star player on a contending team. He should be rewarded for all the hard work he’s put in to become a better player and, more importantly, a better person.