There’s been a form of revolution across the four major North American sports. Over the last four years, young players have burst onto the scene and have been dominant at incredibly young ages. Notable players include the likes of NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes, NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, NHL MVP Connor McDavid and a variety of other star players who missed out on an MVP to these previously mentioned have lit up their respective leagues with precision.
However, the brightest of the young stars in American sports does not have an MVP award yet. Ronald Acuña of the Braves has transcended baseball over the last 16 months. Acuña hit the ground running as a rookie, yanking National League Rookie of the Year away from Juan Soto (who deserves an article like this for him). What Acuna did as a rookie was nothing short of stellar. In 111 games, Acuña blasted 26 home runs and drove in 64 runs. He also accumulated 16 steals and a total of 78 runs.
Acuña was 20 years old in 2018, keep that in mind.
If his 2018 stats were extrapolated over 162 games (a number he looks poised to hit in 2019), they become otherworldly. 26 homers becomes 38, a figure which would have tied for the National League lead. His 78 runs turns into 114, good enough for third in the NL. Acuña would also have finished third in hits, seventh in stolen bases, and 11th in RBI.
Acuña hit another level when manager Brian Snitker moved him to the lead-off spot, a move which went down in the summer of 2018 that led both Acuna and the Braves to start rolling offensively. Acuña has developed a reputation as a lead-off home run master. He has 14 lead-off home runs in 148 career leadoff at-bats.
In terms of counting stats, it is very difficult to match the effectiveness of Acuña. In the NL, Acuña stands first in runs, second in hits, fourth in homers, tied for tenth in RBI (as a lead-off hitter!), and first in steals.
When one moves beyond the stats, Acuña becomes a once-in-a-generation marvel. Even with the term “five-tool player,” thrown at every half-decent center fielder nowadays, Acuña epitomizes the ideal MLB player. In the batter’s box, the ball sounds different off Acuña’s bat. On the basepaths, Acuña has tremendous aggressiveness and immense speed to back it up. In the field, Acuña can cover as much ground as any center fielder … and he has a laser of an arm.
Acuña appeals to both generic sections of baseball fans: the stat-sheet watchers and the highlight watchers. It is special to watch him on a nightly basis, and it is special to look at the box score after ever Braves game.
Acuña is not without flaws. He only walks slightly more than the average player, and he strikes out more than the average player. With that said, his walk rate has improved from one per 10.8 plate appearances to one every 10.1 plate appearances. His strikeout rate has hardly fluctuated, but there is room to improve in that regard.
In terms of advanced stats, Acuña grades as an above-average hitter, baserunner, and fielder. Acuña has generated 9.2 wins above replacement in just 238 games played. If Acuña finished out this season at his current pace, he would step up to a total of 6.5 WAR in the season and 10.6 for his career.
Factoring in every facet of Ronald Acuña’s game, it is clear that he is one of the best players. He is an MVP-level player at the plate. He is at Gold Glove-level in the field. He could even get to 40 steals this season.
Oh, and he is just 21.
