Inside The Cardinals

Ex-Cardinals Silver Slugger Ranked Among Top Hitters In League Amid Career-Year

The former St. Louis veteran is tearing it up this season

Nate Hagerty

Oct 9, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Marcell Ozuna (23) and shortstop Paul DeJong (12) celebrate after defeating the Atlanta Braves in game five of the 2019 NLDS playoff baseball series at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Oct 9, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Marcell Ozuna (23) and shortstop Paul DeJong (12) celebrate after defeating the Atlanta Braves in game five of the 2019 NLDS playoff baseball series at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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The St. Louis Cardinals have found ways to shoot themselves in the foot over the last few years following a series of poor front-office decisions.

Letting go of players who thrive upon departing from St. Louis has been a common occurrence for the 11-time World Series franchise ever since Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak took over in 2017.

With the club struggling to contend for the last National League Wild Card spot, it's challenging to see former Cardinals players excelling at such a high level.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna ranked No. 5 in a list of the best hitters in Major League Baseball, according to Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly article from Friday.

Ozuna is batting .303 with 65 extra-base hits including 37 home runs, 98 RBIs and a .933 OPS in 146 games played for the Braves this season.

The 33-year-old played for St. Louis only two seasons and wasn't re-signed after his contract expired in 2019. The Cardinals made Ozuna a qualifying offer, which he rejected and no further negotiations followed.

The two-time Silver Slugger recipient batted .262 with 94 extra-base hits including 52 home runs, 177 RBIs and a .777 OPS throughout the two years he played for the Cardinals.

It's unfortunate that St. Louis had one of the best hitters in the game and lost him over contract negotiations. Hopefully, the organization will be a little more liberal with its money this winter as Mozeliak looks to finish his role as Cardinals POBO on a high note in 2025.

More MLB: Cardinals High-Leverage Hurler Reportedly 'Would Welcome' Re-Signing Discussions

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Nate Hagerty

NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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