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Ozuna becomes 1st NL winner of Edgar Martinez Outstanding DH Award

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Marcell Ozuna has added another award to his trophy case and made a little baseball history in the process.

MLB announced Ozuna won the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award on Friday, honoring him for his stellar 2020 season with the Atlanta Braves.

The Dominican Republic native is the first National League player to win the award since its establishment in 1973. NL players only became eligible this season when the Senior Circuit adopted the DH as part of rule changes for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

This campaign marked Ozuna's first as a full-time DH, having spent his entire career in the NL, and he took to the role in a big way. The 30-year-old slashed a career-best .338/.431/.636 along with an NL-leading 18 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 145 total bases over 60 games with Atlanta (39 as a DH). He also ripped 32 extra-base hits - ranking second in the NL - and scored 38 runs, while his 179 wRC+ ranked third in the majors.

Ozuna - who also won a Silver Slugger, was voted first-team All-MLB at DH, and finished sixth in NL MVP voting - is now a free agent. Though the Braves have expressed a desire to bring him back, it's unclear how he'd fit into their lineup long term if the NL removes the DH. The universal DH's status for 2021 remains unclear while MLB and the players' association continue to negotiate the issue.

Minnesota Twins slugger Nelson Cruz, a two-time winner of the Edgar Martinez Award, finished second in this year's voting, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reports.

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