Ronald Acuna Jr. reflects on Hank Aaron's legacy and the inspiration behind custom red suit honoring Braves legend

Ronald Acuna Jr. dazzled yet again on another MLB awards night as he was presented the NL Hank Aaron Award. But this one will definitely feel more special for the Atlanta Braves superstar who was conferred the award named after a legend of the franchise.

The Hank Aaron award was established in 1999 to celebrate the best offensive award in each league. It was started on the 25th anniversary of the late great Hank Aaron surpassing Babe Ruth for the most home runs in MLB history. The legend has held the record for 33 years before Barry Bonds took over.

Hank Aaron played 21 seasons with the Braves organization. He was a stellar at-bat amassing more than 3,700 hits and leading the most power-hitting rankings in the sport for the longest of time.

Another Braves player who replicated similar feats this season was Ronald Acuna Jr. The Braves player was conferred with a unanimous NL MVP award for his record-setting 40-70 season with 41 home runs and 73 stole bases becoming the first player to do so.

An emotional Acuna spoke about the feeling of receiving the award that meant so much to the Braves.

“Obviously, this is a very special moment for me,” Acuña said. “I was able to be fortunate enough to meet him in 2018. What he meant to the Braves’ organization … and to be able to be a part of that is really special, and I’m really happy.”

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Ronald Acuna Jr.'s custom-made suit dedicated to Hank Aaron

Ronald Acuna Jr.'s suit's embroidery was what set him apart from the other guests during MLB's awards night. Acuna wore his jersey No. 13 with a white outline and blue numbering embroidered on his left lapel. To the right, he paid tribute to the late Hall of Famer Hank Aaron by featuring No. 44 in the embroidery.

“It was something that we worked on as a family, working with a clothes designer here in the United States,” Acuña said through interpreter Bryan Almonte. “And, obviously, what Hank Aaron means to the game of baseball and also to the city of Atlanta, it just made a lot of sense for us to honor him.”

Acuna became the first Braves player to win the award since Freddie Freeman did it in 2020. The AL Hank Aaron award went to none other than Shohei Ohtani.