Atlanta Braves star outfielder Marcell Ozuna has found himself in the news for all the wrong reasons over the course of the past two calendar years.
Most recently, Ozuna was arrested on a DUI charge in Georgia last August. The 31-year-old outfielder was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail at 4:39 a.m. on Aug. 19. He was pulled over for failure to maintain his lane by the Norcross Police Department and it was determined that he was under the influence.
Fast forward several months, and Ozuna has opted to plead no contest to a charge of driving under the influence. Ozuna, 32, was fined a mere $1,000 as part of the plea agreement. According to the arresting officer at the time, Ozuna was going upwards of 90 miles-per-hour in a 35 MPH zone before being pulled over.
For Marcell Ozuna, this latest incident drew the ire of Braves fans in Atlanta. He was promptly booed once he returned to the diamond.
There certainly is a history here. Back in May of 2021, Ozuna was arrested on charges of family domestic violence and strangulation. At that time, Sandy Springs Police in Georgia witnessed him grabbing his wife by the neck and throwing her against a wall. Ultimately, charges were withdrawn. Despite this, he was still suspended 20 games by MLB.
Marcell Ozuna stats (2023): .146 average, 6 HR, 9 RBI, .641 OPS
Originally signed to a one-year, $18 million contract by the Braves back in January of 2020, Ozuna led the National League in homers (18) and RBI (56) while hitting .338 during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
This landed the Dominican Republic product a four-year, $65 million contract in February of 2021. Since then, it’s been downhill, both on the diamond and off the field. Since the start of the 2021 campaign, Ozuna is hitting a mere .214 with a .671 OPS. In the five previous seasons, he slashed at .282/.840.