Even though Ronald Acuna Jr.'s feats were already well known, what he is accomplishing in 2023 makes it seem like the best is yet to come. Last Friday, Acuna Jr. attained his 40-40 membership.
When Jose Canseco opened it in 1988, it was the hottest club in town, but now that it has five members, it isn't quite as exclusive. Acuna opened his 40-70 club as a result, and he also gets the best parking spot. There is still time to start some new clubs because 26 is still a ways off.
"Ronald Acuña Jr. ties the single-season franchise record with stolen base No. 72" - BRWalkoff
The 25-year-old Acuna, a strong candidate for the NL MVP award, was already unique in MLB history as a member of both the 30-60 and 40-60 categories. Along with his 41 home runs, he hit.335/.414/.598 and had 103 RBIs. The Braves are widely regarded as the favorites to win the World Series and have already clinched the NL East division title. His teammates are dumbfounded by Acuna's talents, and so are other players in the league.
"When I saw him at the All-Star Game, he wasn’t a big dude. But then you see him in the box, he seems like he’s huge. And then he hits the ball and you’re like, ‘That’s different" - J.D. Martinez with Mookie Betts via BRWalkoff
Despite being one of the youngest players in the majors, Ronald Acuna Jr. did not take long to establish himself as one of the top players in the game. Acuna was headed to probably his greatest season yet in 2021 after a good 2019 campaign and further improvement at the plate in the condensed 2020 season.
Ronald Acuna Jr. is built differently
Over the course of the season, Ronald Acuna Jr.'s batting technique has changed. He's managed to pull off the amazing feat of being significantly more aggressive at home plate while still making slightly more contact (83% versus 82%) over the course of the past calendar month, during which he's hit an absolutely scorching .340/.393/.726, which is impressive.
"The hardest hit ball of the year came off the bat of Ronald Acuña Jr. It was a HR to CF at 121.2 mph and was the only ball hit over 120 mph this year" - AlexFast8
Ronald Acuna Jr.'s offensive profile can support a more aggressive approach, as he's currently batting an absurd .333/.369/.542 for the year, despite being in a 0-2 count. With a triple-slash of .347/.422/.635, ZiPS's zStats actually believe that he has outperformed his peripherals this season. We are witnessing a legendary ballplayer in the making.
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