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Marcelo Zuna was one of the best hitters in baseball last season. And after months of uncertainty on the eve of spring training, the free agent finally signed a long-term deal to stay in Atlanta.

I think this is huge for the Atlanta Braves because of what the rest of the division has done. Yeah. It has like been a chess match.

Today, the Athletics David O'Brien, on why it took so long for O'Zuna to land back with the Braves, and how his big bat and larger than life personality have changed the dynamics on one of the best teams in baseball.

He's the kind of guy that he's so likable that he can play at Boombox with like sauce music at three in the morning on the team bus from the airport to the hotel to crank it up and everybody just smiles instead of going turn and shut up.

From Wondery and the Athletic, I'm under Skelto. And I'm Kavita Davidson. It's Friday, February 19th, and this is the lead.

It felt like something great was happening. There was just something about the emotion and the heart of the team.

The values of the past don't matter because we've got this now.

This isn't a story where the interview the athlete will hold. It stays with you.

Well, David, the Braves made a run all the way to the NLCS last season. And Marcelo Zuna was a huge part of that. Can you remind us just how productive he was for the Braves throughout this short and season?

Extremely productive. He had 338 with a 1067 OPS led the NL in both homers with 18 and RBI's with 56.

High towering fly ball deep center, making a three homer night. Wow over the batter's eye in straightaway center.

I don't know if I've ever seen a ball go up there at Fenway. I was just saying the same thing up where the cameras are above the batter's eye.

He was a threat to win the triple crown until the last weekend of the season when his average fell back just a little bit. Still finished third and batting average.

So he led the league in total basis with 145 was tied for second next to base sits with 32 and was third in both OBP at 431 and slugging percentages 636.

So like I said, extremely productive. If you watch a Braves game, you know, you don't have to look too far for some Marcelo Zuna antics.

Zuna hits this ball 800 feet after he hits it. He does a nice little stroll towards first and then he decides, you know what, I'm just going to take a selfie right here.

Tell us a little bit about his personality. What it meant for the clubhouse this past season.

I can't think of another player that they could have signed to a one year deal like they did him a year ago in January and still have had in a year of COVID.

Have somebody come in and have the kind of profound impact he had on a team. You had to have a personality like he has, which was really outgoing.

He's a kind of a gregarious guy that everybody on the team likes is not just what he does on the field, but in the clubhouse, the energy, the enthusiasm.

I think Azuna is a total package in every way he plays. He's revered in those clubhouses. He's the kind of guy that he's so likable that he can play at boom box with like sauce music at three in the morning on the team bus from the airport to the hotel.

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