Marlins' Marcell Ozuna blossoms into All-Star starter under continued mentorship of Barry Bonds
By Tim Healey
| MIAMI
Among the moments that have marked Marcell Ozuna's ascent to two-time All-Star and one of the best outfielders in baseball is one he wasn't even present for.
When Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria hired Barry Bonds, the game's all-time home run leader, to be Miami's hitting coach for 2016, Loria left a gift in Bonds' Marlins Park locker: an Ozuna bobblehead.
"He was my project when I went there," Bonds said Saturday in San Francisco. "[Loria] said, 'He's yours.' I said, 'I guarantee you he won't get worse.'"
Bonds made good on that promise last year with his work with Ozuna, who made the 2016 All-Star team as a reserve. And Bonds has continued that mentorship from a distance this year, speaking regularly with the Marlins' left fielder, who will start for the National League in the All-Star Game Tuesday night at Marlins Park.
To hear Ozuna and Bonds tell it, Bonds is another voice in Ozuna's ear, checking in at least a couple of times a week to echo a sentiment so often expressed by manager Don Mattingly and his staff: Please stick to your offensive approach.
"Patience," Ozuna said, putting it in his simplest terms and noting he didn't want to spill any secrets. "Go to the plate looking for a pitch you want to hit. If you don't like it, don't swing."
Swinging only at good pitches seems like an obvious game plan, but it's much easier said than done. Sticking to it is a sign of maturity for a hitter, a threshold Ozuna, at age 26, seems to have crossed.
That philosophy — and abiding by it — has helped Ozuna move to the forefront of an outfield that also includes Giancarlo Stanton, Miami's other All-Star, and Christian Yelich, limited to ambassador duties this week after a first half that left something to be desired.
Last year, Ozuna's big first half earned him a spot as an All-Star backup (though he moved into the starting lineup due to an injury). This year, with Ozuna's even bigger first half, the fans voted him into the lineup.
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Among Ozuna's feats this year — which include 70 RBI that tie for the major league lead and 23 homers that match his career high — that selection might have been the most impressive.
"You don't really win the vote just by getting voted [in a popularity contest] in South Florida," said Mattingly, a coach for the NL All-Star team. "He was an All-Star last year. And I think all of a sudden it's like, hey, this guy is doing it again, let's pay attention to this."
Said Stanton, whom Cubs and NL manager Joe Maddon slotted in as the starting designated hitter for Tuesday: "He's done it all year. He hasn't skipped a beat. He deserves it. He should be there."
Scott Boras, Ozuna's agent, said merely being around "greatness" has had an impact on Ozuna.
Marlins notes: Barry Bonds on coaching; second-half rotation; Miguel Rojas rehab; Jeff Locke
All eyes turn now to the All-Star festivities at Marlins Park, but here are a few leftover notes from AT&T Park over the weekend, including Barry Bonds discussing coaching the 2016 Miami Marlins.
"Greatness breeds a confidence level that lets players know when they're not doing well, it's OK," Boras said. "One of the real messages Barry gave Ozo was, 'Hey, you don't have to be exceptional every day, but you have to go there with the same approach every day.'"
Come Tuesday, the larger baseball-viewing community will learn a bit more about Ozuna, though they might have to wait a couple of innings.
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Ozuna will hit eighth, not that the batting order bothers him too much.
"It doesn't matter where you hit," Ozuna said. "Being in the lineup is the best."
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thealey@sunsentinel.com; @timbhealey
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