Sunday, October 26

NORTH PORT, Fla. --  Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. were among the elite players Jurickson Profar played with while spending much of the past decade with the Padres. He also spent last year battling 2024 National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and the star-studded Dodgers.

So, as he prepares to begin his career with the Braves and compete against Soto within the challenging National League East, there was reason to ask Profar where Ronald Acuña Jr. should rank among the game’s best players.

“Acuña and Tatis are a different level,” Profar said. “I think maybe Ohtani is up there with them. They are in a league of their own. If they’re healthy, the sky is the limit for them.”

Ohtani grabbed headlines with the 10-year $700 million deal the Dodgers gave him before the 2024 season and Soto stole the spotlight this past winter, when he signed a 15-year $765 million deal with the Mets. If his two options are exercised, Acuña will draw $68 million ($17 million annually) over the final four seasons of the eight-year, $100 million contract he signed on April 2, 2019.

Ohtani will make $70 million a year ($68 million deferred every season) over the life of his contract. Soto will make $46.875 million both of the next two years and again during the 2028 and ’29 seasons. He’ll have to pinch pennies while making just $42.5 million in 2027. 

Acuña would enter the free agent market as a 31-year-old if the life of his current contract is maximized, so he’ll have a chance to land his own mega deal. But for now, the 2023 NL MVP is just intent on returning to the field to show how great he can be when healthy.

Acuña has hit .289 with 165 homers, 196 steals and a .904 OPS over 722 games. He is the only player in MLB history to tally 160-plus homers and record 190-plus steals through their 26-year-old season. 

And don’t forget, four of his first seven seasons have been of the partial variety. He debuted a few weeks into the 2018 season and spent a month that year on the injured list. After the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he missed the second half of 2021 with a torn right ACL. He missed four months last year with a torn left ACL. 

Acuña’s power-speed combo set him apart. Will the knee injuries rob him of some of that speed? The dynamic outfielder says he needs to be a little smarter on the bases. But it will be interesting to see how his competitive edge influences what he does on the field. In other words, he might not swipe 70 bags in a season again. But 20-30 steals with 40-plus homers on an annual basis would keep him ranked among the game’s elite.

And then there’s the incredible arm. Defensive metrics haven’t always been kind to Acuña. But the eye test has led me to think he’s more than adequate as a right fielder.

There’s already reason to question when Soto might need to become a designated hitter. I don’t see that question being asked about Acuña at any point over the next 10 years.

As Profar said, there’s something very special about Acuña. The only question now seems to be whether the Braves outfielder will be back doing his thing in the first half or second half of May. His return from this latest knee surgery will certainly be celebrated throughout the baseball world.

Well, maybe not in Queens and Philly.

Who holds the Braves record for most home runs through a 26-year-old season?

A. Hank Aaron

B. Eddie Mathews

C. Ronald Acuña Jr.

D. Andruw Jones

Buck Farmer said some teams told him his “outs weren’t sexy enough last year.” 

Yeah, his velocity dropped a little as he spent last year with the Reds. His four-seamer averaged 93.9 mph in 2023 and 92.7 mph in 2024.  His Expected ERA (4.14) was also higher than his ERA (3.04), indicating he might have been the recipient of some good fortune.

But other team’s hesitancy to provide a MLB deal opened the door for the Braves to provide a Minor League deal to Farmer, a Conyers native who played at Georgia Tech and now lives in Buford. The 34-year-old reliever had long hoped for the chance to play for his hometown team.

“I didn’t think it was ever going to come true,” Farmer said. “Being this far into my career and this is the first time I’ve worn it. That means a lot.”

If he pitches effectively in Spring Training, he could easily win one of the available bullpen spots. Manager Brian Snitker said he views Farmer as someone who could the handle multi-inning assignments.

• Our Anthony Castrovince provides a great breakdown of the automated ball-strike challenge system that will be used in some Spring Training games this year. The system will be in place for eight Braves games. This system allows for the opportunity to challenge at least two calls a game, while also maintaining the human element provided by the plate umpire. 

• AJ Smith-Shawver looks back on the final week of 2024, when he had to transition from fan in the stands to Game 1 playoff starter.

• Sean Murphy is aiming to prove he still belongs in the “MLB’s best catcher” conversation 

B. Mathews

Mathews actually ranks third among all MLB players with the 253 homers he hit through his 26-year-old season. He trails only Alex Rodriguez (298) and Jimmie Foxx (266). Next up on the Braves list are Jones (221), Aaron (219), Acuña (165) and Bob Horner (161).

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