Ronald Acuña is not just on track to win his first NL MVP award, he’s on pace to make history. Following last night’s thrilling victory over the Rangers, in which Acuña had another homer and swiped another bag, he now has 11 homers and 18 steals through 43 games.
That puts Acuña on pace for 41 homers and a ridiculous 67 steals. 40/40 is not just a legitimate possibility if he stays healthy, which only four players in the game have accomplished in a single season. 40/50, 40/60; hell, even 40/70 is a realistic possibility. I also don’t even think 50/50 or 50/60 is out of the realm of possibilities if his power numbers continue to rise.
After a sluggish start in the home runs department, the Braves superstar has begun to elevate the baseball more, and the result has been a boatload of balls leaving the yard. In May alone (16 games), he has seven homers, including four over his last four games. We are amid something special, and Spencer Strider believes it’s the best player of a generation coming into his own.
#Braves' SPENCER STRIDER
On Acuña: “He’s the best player I’ve ever seen. I don’t know what else there is to say. I don’t think you can really do it justice. He’s the best player in the game right now, and I’m just really glad he’s on our team.”— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) May 18, 2023
Pound-for-pound, the baseball world has never seen someone like Ronald Acuña Jr. Since he came into the league, no other player has more 450+ foot homers, and we are talking about a guy that stands 6-foot, 205 pounds.
Acuña may not look like a freak of nature, but he was made in a baseball lab. Nobody is more powerful, very few players are faster, and nobody can throw the ball as hard as him from the outfield. In every aspect, Acuña has proven to be elite, and with more experience, he seems to be understanding the game at a much higher level than he ever has before. We are quite literally witnessing greatness in front of our eyes, and Acuña is only getting started at 25-years-old.
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Photo: Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire
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