Atlanta Braves' Marcell Ozuna Reaches Another Career Milestone

Marcell Ozuna has been having a career year with the Braves so it's only fitting he reached another major milestone.

Sep 13, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna's explosive season lifts him to another career milestone. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna reached another career milestone in the Braves' 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday night. 

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Ozuna smacked a line drive off the wall in right field for a long single and his 1,500th career base knock. 

1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ career hits for Big Bear!#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/8W44kLMJKo

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 14, 2024

It’s a career milestone to complement the strong offensive season he's had. Ozuna has been one of the few consistent bats in the Braves lineup all season. He’s the lone all-star position player and spent a good chunk of the season competing for the Triple Crown and MVP. 

He’s statistically having the best non-COVID-shortened season of his career. In a season longer than 60 games, Ozuna’s 2024 on-base percentage (.379), slugging (.558) and OPS (.937) are all career highs. He’s also on track to hit .300 and drive in 100 RBIs in the same season for the second time in his career. 

Other Upcoming Milestones

While they won’t happen in 2024, there are upcoming milestones to keep an eye on in 2025. Ozuna currently sits at 273 home runs and 874 RBIs. Barring injuries, he’s well on his way to 300 home runs and 900 RBIs by the end of next season. 

In theory, he can reach 1,000 RBIs as well. If he can finish with more than 880 RBIs this season, it’s doable. He has the precedent of batting in more than 120 RBIs in a season, which he did back in 2017. However, that’s the only time he’s ever batted in more than exactly 100 RBIs.

Regardless, he’s in striking distance of being in a modestly exclusive group. Only 150 players have ever had at least 1,500 hits, 300 home runs and 900 RBIs in a career. It’s admittingly a sizable group. But that’s out of over 20,000 players to ever play a game in this league. It’s certainly no small feat.