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MLB on Friday announced that Marcell Ozuna, who played for the Atlanta Braves last season, has been voted the winner of the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award for 2020. Ozuna becomes the first National Leaguer ever to win the award. 

Because of the unique challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, MLB and the players association agreed to use the universal DH during the abbreviated 2020 season. That, in turn, presented NL DHs with the opportunity to make history. Ozuna, in his age-29 campaign with the Braves, took full advantage of said opportunity. He played in all 60 regular-season games, and over that span he batted .338/.431/.636 (175 OPS+) with an NL-leading 18 home runs. Ozuna also led the NL in total bases and RBI. Nelson Cruz of the Twins finished second in the balloting after winning the award in 2019 and 2017. 

Ozuna is presently a free agent, and the status of the DH rule in the NL is quite relevant to the market for his services. The issue is presently being negotiated insofar as the 2021 season is concerned, and MLB reportedly told teams not long ago to plan on not having a universal DH in 2021. It's possible the matter will not be resolved for the long-term until the next collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is negotiated. The current CBA expires after the 2021 season. The DH rule, in which a hitter bats in place of the pitcher in the lineup, has been an occasional presence in the World Series since 1976. National League teams used it for the first time in regular-season play with the advent of interleague play in 1997. Not until this year, though, was the DH used universally for an entire season.

As for Ozuna's new hardware, the Designated Hitter of the Year award has been in existence since 1973, when the DH was first instituted in the American League. The award has been named for Edgar Martinez, Hall of Famer and Mariners icon, since his final MLB season in 2004.