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Feeling optimistic about Marcell Ozuna

When Marcell Ozuna hit .331 over his first 36 games as a major-leaguer last year, I said it couldn't last, suggesting his poor plate discipline would catch up to him in time, especially given his lack of experience. And seeing as he finished the year batting .265, that proved to be the case.

But to be fair, he never got a chance to recover from his first ever slump, tearing a ligament in his thumb and having season-ending surgery in late July. By beginning this season like he has, he's done his best to relieve concerns that he simply caught the league by surprise last year.

Particularly batting in front of a rejuvenated Giancarlo Stanton, Ozuna should see plenty of pitches to hit, making the poor plate discipline less of a concern. He'll need to take a step forward power-wise to make an impact in standard mixed leagues, but considering he had back-to-back-to-back 20-homer seasons in the minors, he didn't even show the best he has to offer in that department last year.

With all he has to prove still, I'm unwilling to rank Ozuna much higher than 70th among outfielders, but if you're in a position to sell out for upside, he certainly offers that. If you liked Avisail Garcia as a sleeper, you should like Ozuna as well.

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