Marcell Ozuna crushes first HR with Cardinals (Video)
Marcell Ozuna hit what might be the most impressive home run of the Spring so far.
In an exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins, new Cardinals outfielder Marcell Ozuna blasted one of the biggest bombs of the Spring. The monster homer came off a 2-0 fastball from Twins starter Adalberto Mejia. Check this out:
The gargantuan solo shot was Ozuna’s first with St. Louis. According to Joe Trezza of MLB.com, Ozuna’s teammates were just as impressed as the rest of us.
Adam Wainwright went up to Marcell Ozuna today after his massive home run.
— Joe Trezza (@JoeTrezz) March 1, 2018
“I’m glad you’re on my team,” Wainwright said.
“And I,” Ozuna said. “Am glad to be here.”
In one of the more substantial trades of the offseason, the Cardinals acquired Ozuna from the Marlins back in December. It was the headlining move in a busy winter for St. Louis. The team traded away outfielders Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty. Both were, at one point, thought to be the future of the team.
Ozuna had a breakout season with the Marlins in 2015, hitting .266 while clubbing 23 home runs. He then had an absolutely brilliant season in 2017, slashing .312/.376/.548 (.924 OPS) with 37 home runs and a whopping 124 RBI.
When the Marlins made it public that all of their star players were for sale, most of the attention was on Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich. But Ozuna has quietly emerged as one of the more dangerous hitters in the league.
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Ozuna is a two-time all-star who also has a Gold Glove under his belt. His presence undoubtedly makes the Cardinals a better team, both offensively and defensively. We haven’t quite reached the regular season, but Ozuna is already off to a great start with his new club.