In talking about Giancarlo Stanton last week, it occurred to me that there's a whole class of power hitters coming to HOF voting that are going to be very difficult to discuss. A bunch of these guys were professional home run hitters without much variance or versatility, but the degree at which they were good at power hitting still made them consistent threats. The top ones of these are guys like Nelson Cruz and Edwin Encarnacion. Neither are hall of famers, but both are among the best power hitters of their generations. The HOF voting establishment has already shunned Jose Bautista, fairly, and Carlos Delgado, unfairly. And look, I do get that simple power-hitting isn't enough sometimes. Dave Kingman isn't in, Albert Belle isn't in, Harold Bai-oh wait.
And part of me thinks there honestly should be a Hall of Power Hitters. Because there's some guys that are never gonna be Hall of Famers but were unrivaled in just how unstoppable they were at the plate. The BBWAA has instituted a Best Reliever award for next year, so clearly they want to award people who don't fit the normal stats. Maybe power hitting is next? As much as we love to talk about guys like Miguel Cabrera, Ichiro Suzuki and Chipper Jones, sometimes a J.D. Martinez or a Cecil Fielder is important too.
Which brings me to Marcell Ozuna. Marcell Ozuna is still a somewhat controversial MLB figure because of the abuse allegations that have hounded him his whole career, and the fact that the Braves have chosen to meet him at his strengths rather than make him do something he won't be good at. As a member of the Braves, Ozuna has hit 147 home runs and 403 RBIs, and posts an .842 OPS. This season alone he has 20 homers and 61 RBIs, and if he makes this a 25-homer year, his fifth, it'll bring him to 300 career dingers. The man is just built for power hitting, and the fact that he also mixes in contact stuff also makes him invaluable for a team like the Braves. Last year he hit .300. In 2020, the pandemic-shortened year, he hit .338. He can be the all-purpose guy if he needs to, but even if he isn't he's still lethal.
It's a pity that there's not much left for the Braves to really do this year. Ozuna's one of a handful of people on this team keeping the lights on. Hurston Waldrep came up around the Bristol speedway game, and is 4-0 with an 0.73 ERA in that period. Albies and Harris have been hot as hell in the last month. Matt Olson leads the league in doubles with 34 and might be the team's MVP this year. The Baldwin-Murphy platoon has a combined 4.4 WAR. Granted, starting pitching is still a problem, and guys like Joey Wentz, Cal Quantrill and Bryce Elder are being thrown out there because the better options are all hurt. The bullpen isn't a ton better.
The Braves will likely learn from this season, and come roaring back in 2026. They're just gonna need better injury luck. That killed them this year.
Coming Tonight: A shortstop prospect who waited a while to start everyday, and now that he's able to...the team really isn't what it used to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment