Pablo Ozuna

Pablo Ozuna was born on August 25, 1974, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Until 2002 Ozuna was believed to have been born on August 25, 1978, and this had a dramatic impact on the way he was viewed in his first several seasons in professional baseball.

The son of Sotero Ozuna, who was employed at a sugar mill and also worked as a fisherman and barber, and Carmen Roque, a homemaker, Ozuna grew up in Santo Domingo as the youngest of eight children. Multiple Ozuna siblings tried out for major-league teams, and the second-youngest child, Pedro, signed with the Yankees in 1994, and played a year with the Gulf Coast Yankees in 1996. 1

That same year, Pablo Ozuna signed with the St. Louis Cardinals at the perceived age of 16. He experienced immediate success. He batted .323 in his first 56 games as a pro with Johnson City of the Appalachian League in 1997, then followed it up by hitting .357/.400/.494 with 62 stolen bases in his first full season, with Peoria in the Class-A Midwest League.

This production, all of it coming at shortstop, and most of it before Ozuna turned his listed age of 20, put him on the map. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the Midwest League, and the Cardinals named him their Minor League Player of the Year for 1998, although his time in the organization was limited. On December 14, 1998, the Cardinals traded Ozuna, Braden Looper, and Armando Almanza to the Florida Marlins for Edgar Renteria. After making the trade, St. Louis general manager Walt Jocketty said Ozuna “was the toughest one to give up.”2

Heading into the 1999 season, Ozuna was considered a top-10 prospect by Baseball America.3 His first go-around at Double A, with the Eastern League’s Portland Sea Dogs, posed his first professional challenge. He hit .281/.315/.400 in 117 games. Besides losing 76 points in batting average, he also saw sizable decreases in both walks (from 29 to 13) and stolen bases (from 62 to 31).

However, Ozuna’s production rebounded well enough in 2000 to earn him a couple of auditions with the Marlins. They called him up in April as a temporary replacement for Luis Castillo, who headed to the disabled list with a back injury. Ozuna made his major-league debut on April 23 against the Phillies – at second base, as the Marlins had moved him from shortstop after the 1999 season – and went 1-for-4. His first hit was an infield single off Robert Person. He appeared in four more games before the Marlins optioned him back to Portland, but after hitting .308/.368/.433 with better plate discipline, the team brought him back to Miami as a September call-up.

Ozuna mostly appeared as a pinch-runner, scoring his first run in that capacity on September 17 against the Phillies, but he made his final start of the season on September 30 and went 3-for-4 with his first double to finish the year batting an even .333 (8-for-24).

By the next time Ozuna reached the majors, it was as a utility player just trying to get by.

Ozuna broke his left wrist when he was hit by a pitch in winter ball after the 2000 season, then had it broken again by another HBP in 2001 spring training. He underwent surgery to repair torn cartilage and missed the entire 2001 season.4 When he returned to action in spring training in 2002, he had effectively aged four years.

As a ramification from changes in national security measures after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, anybody applying for a work visa in the United States had to show a birth certificate.5 This had had unintended effects in baseball, because as foreign-born players reported to their teams in the spring of 2002, nearly 300 of them had new birthdays assigned to them.6

The majority of the players hailed from the Dominican Republic, because the US Embassy in Santo Domingo had become increasingly aware of false birthdates and required additional verification.7 Ozuna was among them, and his birthdate was revised to August 25, 1974. Suddenly, the 23-year-old Ozuna was 27.

“I had tried out a few times with the Cardinals and wasn’t signed, so I’d grown disenchanted. I’d even left baseball for a year or so,” Ozuna said. “I played in an amateur league and Robert (Bobby) Díaz was told about how well I was hitting. He thought they were talking about my brother, until someone said ‘no, not Pedro…Pablo, the youngest one.’ Iván Díaz, Bobby’s son, gave me his glove and told me to go to third base, then left field. (Cardinals coach) José Oquendo saw me hustling and running and said, “We like this guy.’”

“Four years were shaved off, but I wasn’t affected when it was revealed. When you’re hungry and overlooked, you’d do it a hundred times if need be to reach your goal.”8

While Ozuna reached the majors, his prospect performances wouldn’t have resonated as much as they did if teams and evaluators knew that he was posting those impressive numbers against younger competition, rather than older players. The Marlins certainly wouldn’t have considered him a potential replacement for Renteria, given that Renteria turned out to be two years younger than Ozuna the whole time.

The recontextualization of his record, along with lingering effects from the wrist injury, put Ozuna on the journeyman course from that point forward. He made the Marlins’ Opening Day roster in 2022, but only as a temporary roster-filler for the first week of the season, and that set the tone for the rest of the season. The Marlins called Ozuna up from the minors four times, and his first 18 appearances came off the bench, including a pinch-hitting appearance against the Mets on July 4 that resulted in a two-run triple for his first major-league runs batted in. He wasn’t penciled into a starting lineup until the second game of a doubleheader on September 3.

Ozuna thrived at Triple-A Calgary (Pacific Coast League) around all the major-league cameos, hitting .326/.371/.475 in 77 games, but it didn’t move the needle with the Marlins. Instead, on November 16, 2002, Florida traded him to Colorado in a six-player deal. This time, he was an undercard in the package, as the Marlins bundled him with Preston Wilson, Charles Johnson, and Vic Darensbourg in exchange for Mike Hampton, Juan Pierre, and cash to offset Hampton’s considerable salary. (The Marlins then flipped Hampton with cash to the Braves in a salary dump.)

With Colorado, Ozuna bounced between levels and positions. He spent most of the year at Triple-A Colorado Springs, dividing his playing time between third, second, shortstop, and center field. He resurfaced in the majors for the final month and a half, hitting .200/.273/.225 in 17 games and 45 plate appearances. The Rockies released him after the season, and while he signed on as a nonroster spring-training invitee with the Detroit Tigers on January 9, 2004, he spent the entire season in the Phillies organization after Philadelphia acquired him for cash before Opening Day.9 He fared well for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .307/.344/.415 in 126 games, but whenever the Phillies needed to call up an infielder from their Triple-A roster, they called on Chase Utley, then in his second season as a major leaguer.

After the 2004 season, Ozuna was once again a free agent, and his career was at a crossroads.

“The Phillies wanted me to re-sign for 2005, but they hadn’t called me up despite my numbers,” Ozuna said. “I had an offer to play in Japan for a million dollars, but my friend Felix José told me [White Sox manager] Ozzie Guillén was interested in me since he’d seen me play in the DR. I asked my mother for her advice, and she suggested I try one more year in the US.”10

On January 19, 2005, he signed a minor-league deal with the White Sox with an invitation to spring training. Now 30 years old, Ozuna arrived at camp in Tucson to compete for a utility infield spot behind the set lineup of Joe Crede at third, Juan Uribe at shortstop, and Tadahito Iguchi at second base. Wilson Valdez had the inside track for the spot, since he was already on the 40-man roster and had played in 19 games the previous September, but Ozuna won over White Sox coaches by hitting during the entirety of spring training.

“Ozuna came to spring training with a mission – to make the team,” said manager Ozzie Guillén two weeks before Opening Day.11

And thanks to a record-setting spring, Ozuna accomplished the mission. His .527 batting average was the highest by any White Sox player with more than 40 at-bats in spring training.12 As the start of the season neared, the White Sox placed Valdez on waivers and purchased Ozuna’s contract.

“At the time, I had long hair, and Ozzie told me, ‘The team owner said that if you cut your hair, you’ll make the team.’ I told him I’d do it right away,” Ozuna said. “That was his way of telling me I’d made the team.”13

In Chicago, Ozuna found stability due to his willingness to play irregularly. Along with 10 plate appearances as a pinch-hitter and seven pinch-running opportunities, he logged playing time at every position save pitcher, catcher, and center field. A minor injury to Scott Podsednik pressed Ozuna into a left-field rotation in mid-April, and he further showcased his adaptability in an April 24 game against the Kansas City Royals when he came off the bench to deliver a go-ahead RBI double with two outs in the eighth inning, then finished the game playing first base for the first time in his professional career, even making a diving stop on a grounder by Mike Sweeney in the ninth.

“I felt OK, because I’m an infielder,” Ozuna said after the game. “I’m ready for everything. That’s my job.”14

Ozuna logged 217 plate appearances in this fashion over the course of the season, with his only regular work coming at third base in late August when Crede suffered a hairline fracture of his middle finger. Ozuna made 11 starts over the course of 14 games, all at third base, but when Crede returned from the injured list, Ozuna returned to the jack-of-all-trades lifestyle.

Ozuna hit a respectable .276 in 70 games in 2005, albeit with little power or patience. He finished the year still in search of his first major-league homer, collecting just nine extra-base hits and seven walks. His ability to fill in at nearly any position on short notice proved valuable to the division-winning club over the long season, but when the postseason arrived with every White Sox infielder in full working order, Ozuna’s October opportunities were limited to just two pinch-running appearances in the American League Championship Series.

That said, one of them turned out to be critical to the White Sox’ eventual championship.

Ozuna came off the bench in Game One to run for Carl Everett after Everett reached on an error to start the ninth, but he was forced out at second on an unsuccessful sacrifice attempt by Aaron Rowand.

The next night, Ozuna again came off the bench as a pinch-runner in the ninth, but under far more dramatic circumstances. A.J. Pierzynski had just extended the inning by reaching on a controversial dropped third-strike call, sprinting toward first base as Los Angeles catcher Josh Paul rolled the ball to the mound and headed to the dugout along with the rest of the team. When play resumed after minutes of argument from Angels manager Mike Scioscia, Ozuna stood in Pierzynski’s place at first base with Crede at the plate. This time Ozuna made it to second with a stolen base on an 0-and-1 pitch. One pitch later, Crede doubled off the base of the left-field wall. Ozuna scored the game-winning run in a 2-1 White Sox victory. Ozuna did not appear in another postseason game that year.

In fact, Ozuna was the only nonpitcher Guillén didn’t use in the 14-inning Game Three of the World Series, but he initially wrote Ozuna’s name on the lineup card for a double switch in the bottom of the 13th. Guillén changed his mind and opted for the switch-hitting Geoff Blum, who then hit the game-winning homer off right-handed Ezequiel Astacio in the 14th.15

Every other player on the 24-man roster made at least one appearance in the World Series, but Ozuna earned his World Series ring regardless. After the season, he earned another reward when he signed a one-year, $500,000 contract.16 It was his first major-league contract, and although it contained a provision that reduced his salary to $330,000 if he was sent to the minors, Ozuna never spent a day in Triple A during his White Sox years.

He secured his spot on Guillén’s roster with a career year in 2006, hitting .328/.365/.444 in 203 plate appearances. After 145 major-league games spanning five seasons, Ozuna hit his first homer, and in dramatic fashion. On May 3 against Seattle’s Eddie Guardado at US Cellular Field, he came off the bench with two outs in the ninth and hit Guardado’s first pitch into the left-field seats to tie the game at 5-5. With the same score two innings later, Ozuna turned a two-out grounder through the middle into a hustle double, then scored on Uribe’s single to win the game.17 On May 22 the White Sox beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-4, in 10 innings on a two-out Ozuna squeeze bunt.18

Ozuna summoned his 2005 spring-training form during the first half of 2006, hitting .413 in 100 plate appearances dispersed over 42 games. While Guillén joked that he would use his powers as the American League’s manager in the All-Star Game to put Ozuna on the roster,19 he said that Ozuna’s torrid half wouldn’t persuade him to carve out a spot in the starting lineup.

“I don’t think Ozuna can play every day,” Guillén told reporters. “That’s my opinion. … The way we used him … we’re better off using him the same way.”20

Ozuna regressed immediately after the All-Star break, opening the second half 3-for-36. He righted the ship afterward to hit .344 over his final 66 plate appearances of 2006, but whether Ozuna ran hot or cold, all of his ups and downs were contained to sporadic playing time in the utility role to which he was accustomed.

After reaching the peak of the sport with the World Series champion White Sox in 2005 and putting together a career year in 2006, Ozuna was rewarded with additional security when the White Sox in December agreed to an $800,000 contract for 2007,21 then agreed to an additional $1.25 million extension that covered the 2008 season before Opening Day.22

But Ozuna got off to a quiet start in 2007, and did not get the opportunity to hit through it. His season ended on May 27 when he fractured his right leg and tore an ankle ligament rounding first base in the first inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays.23

Ozuna returned to the field for Opening Day in 2008, and while he returned to his usual levels of production by hitting .281/.313/.328, it was over increasingly sporadic playing time. He started just 16 games over the first half of the season, drew just two walks, and was unsuccessful on his only two stolen-base attempts.

Still, Ozuna was playing well enough that it caught the White Sox clubhouse by surprise when the team designated him for assignment on July 8. With Uribe still capable of playing all around the infield, and with journeyman outfielder Dewayne Wise providing surprising production, Ozuna’s versatility wasn’t as much needed.

Guillén took no pleasure in the decision.

“To me, it was one of the hardest things I ever did because Ozuna is doing something that isn’t his fault,” Guillén said. “This is the part of the game I don’t like to do, especially with Ozuna. If it was somebody else, (bleep) it. I’ll get him out of here as soon as possible.”24

Paul Konerko, whose return from the injured list necessitated the roster move that resulted in Ozuna’s DFA, said, “Pablo was one of the most, if not the most, well-liked guys. In the years he was here, I never saw him not go about his business the right way.”25

Ozuna didn’t spend long on the open market, signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the remainder of the 2008 season.26 A return to the National League meant more pinch-running and defensive-replacement duties and fewer plate appearances. He played in 36 games for the Dodgers, but came to the plate only 33 times, hitting .219/.242/.375, although he did manage to hit his third and final major-league homer on September 19 against the Giants, accounting for the only run scored off Barry Zito in a 7-1 loss to San Francisco.

The Dodgers won the NL West championship with an 84-78 record and swept the Chicago Cubs in the Division Series before losing to the Phillies in five games in the NL Championship Series. Ozuna made his only postseason appearance in the Dodgers’ final game, bunting into a groundout as a pinch-hitter for pitcher Chan Ho Park in the third inning.

That turned out to be Ozuna’s final appearance in a major-league game. The Dodgers declined his club option after the season, and although he returned to the Phillies on a minor-league contract in January 2009, he didn’t make the team out of spring training. Instead, he reported to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he played 51 games before he was handed a 50-game suspension in June for violating baseball’s minor-league drug program due to an elevated ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone.27 The Phillies released him two months later.28

Ozuna continued his playing career outside the purview of Major League Baseball, playing with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League in 2010, and three seasons in the Dominican Winter League afterward. He last played 14 games for the Tigres del Licey during the 2012-13 season, briefly overlapping with his 21-year-old cousin and future major-league star Marcell Ozuna, who played for Gigantes del Cibao.

After retiring from baseball, Ozuna turned his attention to real estate in the Santo Domingo area. He said he began investing during his playing days with the Marlins, and his portfolio includes homes, apartments, commercial lots, and a gym.29

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Baseball America’s prospect coverage, and SABR member Tony Oliver Diaz conducted a Spanish-language interview with Pablo Ozuna on January 15, 2025.

Notes

1 Tony Oliver Diaz, interview with Pablo Ozuna, January 15, 2025. Hereafter noted as Ozuna interview.

2 “Pitchers Are Likely to Hit 8th Again,” St. Louis Post Dispatch, December 16, 1998: D1.

3 “1999 Top 100 Prospects,” BaseballAmerica.com. https://web.archive.org/web/19991012195112/http:/baseballamerica.com/features/top100/2-20.html.

4 “Millar Puts His Mark on Bats, Territory,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, February 23, 2002: 4C.

5 Michele Orecklin, “Keeping Score,” Time.com, March 4, 2002. https://time.com/archive/6665899/people-mar-4-2002/.

6 “Dawn of a New Age,” BaseballAmerica.com, July 8, 2002. https://www.baseballamerica.com/today/features/agechart.html

7 Murray Chass, “Inside Baseball: Changing Birthdates: An Ancient Practice,” New York Times, February 24, 2002.

8 Ozuna interview.

9 Todd Zolecki, “Team Pleased as All Phillies in Place in Lineup,” Philadelphia Inquirer, March 29, 2004: E-5.

10 Ozuna interview.

11 Mark Gonzales, “No Stretch to Say Buehrle Is Perfect,” Chicago Tribune, March 20, 2005: A6.

12 Mark Gonzales, “It’s Official: Ozuna, Widger on Roster,” Chicago Tribune, April 3, 2005: 3-7.

13 Ozuna interview.

14 Scot Gregor, “White Sox ‘Work Out’ Another Victory,” Arlington Heights (Illinois) Daily Herald, April 25, 2005: 1.

15 John Harper, “Blum Fitting Hero for Unlikely Sox,” New York Daily News, October 27, 2005: 74.

16 Associated Press, “Ozuna Re-Ups with ChiSox,” ESPN.com, November 18, 2005.

17 Dave van Dyck, “Ozuna or Later,” Chicago Tribune, May 4, 2006: 4-1.

18 Dave van Dyke, “Squeezy Does It,” Chicago Tribune, May 23, 2006: 4-1.

19 Mark Gonzales, “Guillen Partial to Sox as All-Stars,” Chicago Tribune, May 11, 2006: 4-4.

20 Mark Gonzales, “Ozuna Hot but Won’t Be a Regular,” Chicago Tribune, June 17, 2006: 3-3.

21 Associated Press, “White Sox Agree to Terms with Ozuna,” ESPN.com, December 5, 2006.

22 Associated Press, “Thornton, Ozuna Agree to Contracts with White Sox,” ESPN.com, April 1, 2007.

23 Dave van Dyck, “Versatile Ozuna Out for 2 Months,” Chicago Tribune, May 28, 2007: 4-6.

24 Scot Gregor. “Ozuna’s Departure Unpleasant for Guillen,” Arlington Heights Daily Herald, July 9, 2008: 3.

25 “Ozuna’s Departure Unpleasant for Guillen.”

26 “Dodgers Sign Utility Man Ozuna,” Hermosa Beach (California) Daily Breeze, July 21, 2008.

27 Associated Press, “Phillies’ Ozuna Suspended 50 Games,” ESPN.com, June 11, 2009.

28 Associated Press, “Phillies Release Ozuna,” ESPN.com, August 8, 2009.

29 Ozuna interview.