I’ve really cooled off on verbalizing how much I dislike the Marlins, I’ve actually interacted with some of their fans, and they’re decent people for the most part. Do I still see a spike in blood pressure every time I read the name Jose Ureña? Yes. However, he’s no longer on the team, but you know that Marlins fans are dreading tonight’s game.
Although I’m still very upset about the loss to the Phillies last night, tonight should be much better. In the 2020 NLDS, Atlanta pitching dominated Miami, and the offense went buck wild. It’s worth noting that Ian Anderson has a fantastic opportunity to get his season on track tonight, as he shut down Miami in Game 2 — tossing 5.2 shutout innings with eight strikeouts as a rookie. However, all eyes will be on “El Abusador” as he has absolutely tortured the Marlins for his entire career. Ronald has a total of 173 at bats against Miami, and he has made almost every single one of them count.
Acuña vs Miami: .318/.414/.665/1.079, 9 2B, 17 HR, 42 RBI, 8 SB, 25 BB
Over the span of 42 games, that’s better than most guys will do in 162. If Ronald only played the Marlins over 162 games, he would pace around 63 home runs, 58 doubles, 155 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases. That’s easily the greatest season in baseball history. When you mix in that he’s already off to a hot start in 2021, the Marlins have even more reason to be worried.
Acuña in 2021: .444/.462/.917/1.378, 5 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 2 SB, 2 BB
Advanced analytics are loving Acuña’s patience, too. He’s not chasing as much, which has helped lead him to the MLB lead in hits, slugging percentage, and OPS. Now he’s facing a team that he has bad blood with; expect Ronald to be the very early MVP favorite going into this weekend.
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