With clutch hits, Ozuna earns playoff MVP

Marcell Ozuna blasted a grand slam in Game 163 to help Tucson clinch the Clemente Division over Arkansas and get into the playoffs as the No. 4 seed. Technically, that was the still the regular season but it was just the start of a hot postseason for the Kingsnakes left-fielder.

The 27-year-old Dominican earned Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors for the 2018 postseason, delivering a consistent offensive performance throughout Tucson's 16 games, leading the Kingsnakes to a five-game series win over No. 2 Hopatcong for their won their second championship in three seasons. Tucson outscored Hopatcong 33-19, in the five games.

A 6th-round pick in 2016, Ozuna was Tucson's regular season RBI leader (98) and led the Kingsnakes in the postseason too with 16 RBI, including 6 in the finals. He hit safely in 15 of 17 playoff games, including a 7-game hit streak. He also compiled 5 Game-Winning RBI (GWRBI), leading the league by far. No other Kingsnake had more than one and no player in the entire postseason had more than two.

It doesn't get much more clutch than this -- Ozuna drove in the game-winning run in the series-clinching games of each round: Game 6 in the semifinals against Sardine City and an opening inning homer in Game 5 of the first round versus Marietta. Ozuna had a team-high 7 hits and 5 RBI in Round 1, batting .389/.478/.722.

The 6th rounder that Tucson used on Ozuna was acquired in a pre-protected list deal in January 2016 with Blue Ridge in exchange for Pedro Strop, who also found himself on this year's Tucson squad after getting picked up as a free agent in May.

Ozuna batted .339/.425/.629 and led all batters in most aggregate categories for the entire playoffs, including total bases (39), finished 2nd in hits with 21 -- trailing only teammates Jose Altuve (.349/.449/.524), who was second with 33 total bases, and Avisail Garcia (.367/.433/.517), who had 22 hits.

Tucson catcher Mike Zunino led all batters with 10 extra base hits, including 5 doubles, but Ozuna was right behind him with 9 and 4, respectively. Zunino provided some of the Kingsnakes' punch, particularly in the semis, with a team-leading 6 RBI, batting .350/.435/.850. He finished 2nd only to Ozuna league-wide, with 13 RBI, including a team-leading 6 in the semis.

Rookie shortstop Paul DeJong (.357/.400/1.286) had a historic Game 4 but only made 3 postseason starts, finishing with 4 HRs and 9 RBI, including 6 in that Game 4 -- in just 14 ABs. The three also had 4 home runs, matching Justin Turner, who did it in just 5 games for Marietta during the opening round, and Vancouver's Jose Martinez, who like DeJong also had a 3-HR game in the postseason.

Ozuna was just 1-for-5 against lefties the entire postseason but Tucson rarely faced lefties, going 13-for-57 (.228/.343/.386). As a team, the Kingsnakes hit .260/.347/.451 overall with 22 home runs and 82 runs scored in 16 games (5.1 per game).

On the pitching side, Max Scherzer was 4-0 with a 3.55 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, and a league-high 50 strikeouts and 33 innings across 5 starts (4 quality starts). Robbie Ray was the only other King Snake with more than 1 win (2-3) and ranked second in innings (24.1). As a team, Tucson was 11-5 with a 3.79 ERA and 1.10 WHIP throughout the playoffs.

Out of the bullpen, Craig Kimbrel was 5-for-5 on save opportunities in 8 appearances. Only Josh Hader pitched more often for the Kingsnakes, logging 14 2/3 innings in 9 appearances.

Hopatcong ran up a 4.87 ERA, and 1.32 WHIP in 11 postseason games, going 5-6. After Stephen Strasburg though, the Fish rotation was inconsistent at best. He went 2-2 with a 5.63 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 24 innings.

Closer Alex Claudio recorded 3 saves but also blew one in a 9th inning meltdown against Vancouver in the semis and surrendered the game-winning hit in a crucial Game 4 loss against Tucson in the finals. Adam Warren was the best option out of the pen, allowing but one hit in 8 2/3 innings across 7 appearances, with 11 Ks and 1 BB. Lefty Tyler Lyons also was effective, with a 1.23 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 7 games.

Marwin Gonzalez and Nick Castellanos were the unlikely postseason RBI leaders for Hopatcong with 7 apiece; Zack Cozart, Robinson Cano and Ryan Zimmerman each had 6. Though Zimmerman had a couple of big hits, he batted only 5-for-44, including just 2-for-19 v LHP, which is why he was acquired from Livingston at the deadline with Ervin Santana for a 2nd rounder.

If you're looking for a goat, there's a few you could pin the tail on but Gary Sanchez stands out, and not just for his offense, or lack thereof, but also his defense. And his baserunning. In addition to numerous passed balls and an epically misunderstood caught stealing of home in Game 4, Sanchez had a brutal 7-for-42 postseason, (.167/.271/.190) with but 1 double and 3 RBI. He went 1-for 18 versus left-handers.

Joey Votto had his moments and compiled 11 BBs with 10Ks and 6 runs scored but managed only a middling line of .200/.385/.350. Bryce Harper brutalized right-handed pitching with a 1.091 OPS (.348/.483/.609) in the playoffs but was neutralized by lefties (.190/.190/.190) for an overall line of .273/.360/.409. He was one of 6 Floating Fish with 2 HRs in their 11 postseason games but no other extra-base hits among his team-high 12 hits.

As a team, Hopatcong struggled versus lefties (.210/.301/.327) after faring well in the regular season (.276/.336/.492). Against right-handers in the postseason, the Fish batted .253/.363/..430