Miami Marlins' Marcell Ozuna building own impressive streak

While Jackie Bradley Jr. continues to extend his hitting streak, Marcell Ozuna of the Miami Marlins is working on his own notable feat.

Jackie Bradley Jr. isn’t the only MLB player maintaining an impressive streak right now. Miami Marlins center fielder Marcell Ozuna has reached base safely in 31 consecutive games, fueling what has been a breakout campaign thus far for the 25-year-old.

Through 44 contests, Ozuna is slashing .327/.372/.589 with nine home runs and 23 RBIs. His .962 OPS ranks 14th in all of baseball, and his four triples are tied for the league lead with five other players including, you guessed it, Bradley.

Ozuna has shown flashes of his potential before, but he has yet to really put it all together in a banner season. In 2014 he belted 23 homers and drove in 85 runs with a .269/.317/.455 line. His production slipped to .259/.308/.383 the following year with only 10 long balls and 44 RBIs. However, he also missed 39 games last season due to injury and a minor league demotion.

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So far, 2016 appears to have all the makings of the year where everything finally clicks for Ozuna. He’s flexing his power, utilizing his speed, hitting for average and getting on base at a high clip. On a club where it’s easy to get lost in Giancarlo Stanton‘s considerable shadow, Ozuna is emerging as a genuine leader in the lineup.

Stanton’s recent struggles are making Ozuna’s contributions even more important for the Marlins. The three-time All-Star is batting just .173 with 31 strikeouts in 75 at bats since the beginning of May.

Reaching the halfway point on the road to Joe DiMaggio‘s mythic record is bound to generate headlines for Bradley, but has Ozuna actually been the more impressive player over the course of his streak? The two are a bit closer than you might think.

Since his streak began on April 24, Bradley is slashing .412/.487/.784. This has been no vitamin hitting streak either; 10 of the games have been multi-hit performances, three of them three-hit affairs. Traditionally not known for his slugging ability, the 26-year-old Bradley has also been hitting the ball out of the park rather frequently, swatting eight home runs while racking up 29 RBIs over this span.

Meanwhile, Ozuna has slashed .385/.438/.718 with eight homers and 19 RBIs since April 21. He’s not over-relying on walks to keep the on-base streak going either: of the 31 games, he went hitless in only three.

Overall, Bradley is clearly on a superior run at the moment, but that’s a lofty standard to force upon even the most talented player. Ozuna’s recent accomplishments just shouldn’t be lost in the shuffle.

However, is the young Marlin likely to maintain his hot hitting ways throughout the season? His .383 BABIP will be difficult to sustain, but Ozuna does have somewhat of a track record in keeping his BABIP at above average levels. He posted marks of .320, .337 and .326 the past three years. So while a regression will likely kick in at some point, it may not be a pronounced one.

Ozuna also credits new hitting coach Barry Bonds with helping him improve his approach at the plate. “Now I’m ready,” he said. “I started listening to Barry and put the little things to work and practice on my swing. When you are in a ready position to hit, you see everything better.” Consistently batting in the middle of the order has probably played a role as well.

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All things considered, Ozuna and Bradley look like two abundantly-skilled outfielders of a similar age who are taking major leaps forward this season. They should be a lot of fun to watch for the remainder of this year and beyond.

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