Coming off a torn ACL, Ronald Acuña Jr. hasn’t played like his MVP self this season, but it looks like he’s rounding into form at the right time. Last night, he crushed two homers to help the Braves move into a tie for first place.
Ronald Acuña Jr. got his second homer of the night‼️
(via @Braves)pic.twitter.com/bvcKlSc0nl
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 28, 2022
Acuña’s injury has undoubtedly held him back this season, but he’s still been worth 2.5 bWAR while missing a third of the season. He’s a special talent, one that thrives in all aspects of the game. It doesn’t matter which advanced analytics you check out; you’ll typically find him at or near the top. So, it’s no surprise that Statcast has just launched a new stat measuring arm strength, and Acuña is right there among the best.
https://twitter.com/BravesOnBally/status/1575167665085480966
The way Statcast measures this for outfielders is by taking the top 10% of their throws. So on average, when Acuña is attempting to throw someone out, he’s gunning it at 97.7 MPH and has topped out at 101.5 MPH. That’s insane, but it should surprise nobody that watches him on a daily basis. He has a cannon, and so does Michael Harris II, who ranks 16th among all outfielders, averaging 93.3 MPH and topping out at an even 100 MPH.
When it comes to throwing runners out on the basepaths, few can do it better than the Braves tandem in center and right field. It’s a pleasure to watch them every night, not just with the bat in their hands but defensively as well.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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