Predicting the 2023 stats of each Braves player — Ronald Acuña Jr.

This continues my series where I attempt to predict the 2023 stats of each Braves player, moving on to one of the most exciting players in all of baseball.

If you missed any of the previous editions of this series, follow the links below.

• Michael Harris II
• Marcell Ozuna 
• Eddie Rosario
• Orlando Arcia 
• Austin Riley
• Vaughn Grissom
• Ozzie Albies
• Matt Olson

Ronald Acuña’s 2023 Stat Predictions

Ronald Acuña made his return from the torn ACL injury he suffered in 2021, and the results were underwhelming. Prior to the injury, he was the best player in the National League, and I’m not sure it was even close. In just half a season in 2021, Acuña produced 4.3 fWAR, smacking 24 homers and recording an OPS just shy of 1.000. So when he hit just 14 homers and recorded 2.2 fWAR over 119 games in 2022, it was frankly worrisome.

Acuña said on multiple occasions throughout the season that the knee was preventing him from giving it 100%. His power numbers crashed, and defensively, he was below average in the outfield for the first time in his career. He also was caught stealing more than any player in the league. It wasn’t the typical Acuña Braves fans were used to, but all signs point to him being back closer to 100% for 2023.

Despite retiring from baseball in Venezuela recently due to a myriad of reasons that may never come to light, Acuña was dominating the Winter League. In 10 games down south, he hit .441 with a 1.160 OPS. The sample size isn’t very large, and of course, the talent in Venezuela isn’t what it is in Major League Baseball, but the eye test has me confident he will be much closer to the 2021 version of himself than he was in 2022.

MLB.com even predicted he would take home the MVP award this season for the National League. I’m not quite there yet, but I do believe Acuña will once again be one of the top players for the Braves this year.

Ronald Acuña Jr.’s 2023 Stat Predictions: .280/.387/.520/, .907 OPS, 39 home runs, 90 RBIs, 35 SBs, 5.9 fWAR

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Photo: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire