Ronald Acuña Jr. established himself in a class of his own last season, becoming the first player to hit 40 homers and swipe 70 bags in MLB history on his way to the NL MVP award. Is was the type of season that only existed in video games before Acuña arrived, who is not only establishing himself as one of the greats in the game today, but has a chance to go down as one of the best players to ever step on a baseball diamond.
What’s crazier is his brother Luisangel Acuña may not be far behind. Widely regarded as a top 100 prospect in the game, Acuña joined the Mets organization last year after being traded by the Rangers for Max Scherzer. The younger Acuña arrived to Spring Training earlier this week, and he had quite the statement regarding his older brother.
"My brother's a talent that you see every 100 years."
Luisangel Acuña on comparisons to his famous brother Ronald (through interpreter Alan Suriel): pic.twitter.com/JV6egEJOJK
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 17, 2024
Chipper Jones said it best not long ago, Ronald Acuña Jr. is the most talented player to ever put on a Braves jersey. Period.
That’s a pretty incredible statement when considering all of the greats that have played in the Braves organization over the last 100+ years, but it really isn’t up for debate. Even scarier, Acuña might just be reaching his full potential.
Former Braves star Ron Gant said it best when on our show SportsTalkATL, Acuña’s a five-tool player that developed a sixth tool this past season. The game slowed down for him, as he cut his strikeout rate by more than half, leading to career-highs in batting average (.337) and on-base percentage (.416). Gant even went as far as to say Acuña would bait pitchers during at-bats to throw his pitch and take advantage. Take a listen:
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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