Texas Rangers: Comparing free agents Nick Castellanos, Marcell Ozuna

Offensive Production

Both Castellanos and Ozuna are known more for what they provide with the bat than they are with the glove. In a Texas lineup that is looking for options on the right side of the plate, both would be welcomed additions and would add some cover for Willie Calhoun and Joey Gallo, who are likely to be the club’s biggest offensive catalysts.

Castellanos has made a name for himself as a consistent hitter posting a career .277 average and .797 OPS and is coming off three straight seasons of 20 homers or more. His 2019 campaign was more of the same production wise with a slash line of .289/.337/.525/.863 in 151 games between the Tigers and the Cubs. What’s even more encouraging is when he was dealt from a rebuild situation in Detroit to one in a postseason race, his numbers improved drastically. In 225 plate appearances for the Cubs, Castellanos hit .321 with 16 homers and a 1.002 OPS, all stellar numbers.

For the Texas Rangers, Castellanos would add some much needed power to the right side of the plate as well as protection for Joey Gallo. He can get on base regularly and would give Texas an impressive middle of the order if he were signed.

Ozuna doesn’t quite produce at the same rate as Castellanos but does have the chance to put up better power numbers. Ozuna hit .243 for the Cardinals in 2019, below his career mark of .273 in seven seasons. His OPS increased though in 2019 to .804, up from .758 in 2018 with St. Louis. Still, he’s struggled to replicate that success in 2017 with Miami that propelled him into near stardom.

While he doesn’t have the eye popping numbers of Castellanos, he still is a hitter that would add needed pop to the Rangers order. He hit 29 homers last season, the second highest mark of his career behind the 37 he hit in his stellar 2017 season. Most impressive though is that he was to improve his walk rate from 6.1% in 2018 to 11.3% last season, a notable improvement.

Edge: Castellanos