Ronald Acuna Jr. (26, Atlanta) is greedy. He’s in MVP mode, and he’s not about to let the stolen bases slip away.
Acuna started in right field and went 1-for-4 with a home run, a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored in the 2023 Major League Baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Truiste Park in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, on Sunday. He is batting .342 on the season.
Acuna is in the middle of a $1.124 billion contract. His health has been an issue since his debut in 2018. Aside from 2019, when he played 156 games, he hasn’t had a season with more than 120 games. In 2021, a torn ACL and surgery limited him to 82 games. As a result, he only played 119 games last year.
But this season, he’s healthy. He almost missed a game in Saguaro, but he played through it. He has played in all 47 games Atlanta has played to date. He has a 29-18 record, which is a big part of their lead in the National League East.
In 184 at-bats, he is batting .342 with 11 home runs, 27 doubles, 46 runs scored, 19 stolen bases, a .598 slugging percentage, a .430 on-base percentage, and a 1.028 OPS. He ranks first in the National League in runs scored and stolen bases, second in hits, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, and 15th in RBI. Ranked first in MLB.com’s April National League MVP mock voting.스포츠토토
Explosive athleticism is his biggest strength. He stole three bases against the Dodgers to lead the National League in stolen bases. It was the bottom of the fifth inning, trailing 4-6. He came up to bat and drew a walk from Gavin Stone. Stole third base on a wild pitch from Matt Olson. His 19th stolen base of the season.
Acuna hadn’t stolen a base in four games since April 18 against the Texas Rangers. In his 19 stolen bases, he has only been thrown out twice. He trails only Bae Ji-Hwan Bae (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Jazzy Chizom Jr. (Miami Marlins, both with 14 or more) by five.
After stealing his 14th base against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 6, Bae went 12 games without a stolen base until today’s game against the Texas Rangers. He even failed to steal in his last four consecutive games. Both Bae and Chizom Jr. have slumped recently, leaving Akuna in solo mode.
For reference, Esteemed Ruiz (Oakland Athletics) leads the major leagues in stolen bases with 24. He’s also first in the American League, with five more than Acuna. He’s on pace for 90 steals this season. Acuna is also on pace for 50+ steals.