ATLANTA -- Hank Aaron homered at Atlanta Stadium in 1972 and Chipper Jones cleared Turner Field’s outfield wall when the All-Star Game returned to Atlanta 28 years later. Will Ronald Acuña Jr. experience the same hometown thrill when Truist Park hosts the Midsummer Classic next month? “I want to make the All-Star roster this year and every year,” Acuña said. “Obviously, this year I feel a little extra incentive with the game being here in Atlanta.” It would certainly be a shame if Acuña isn’t elected or selected to compete in this year’s All-Star Game. He ranked sixth among NL outfielders when the first balloting results were released on Monday. But he was within 100,000 votes of the third of the three spots reserved for the outfielders who will be in the NL’s starting lineup. When Phase 1 of the voting concludes at noon ET on June 26, I’m thinking that Acuña will be among the top three vote getters. Regardless, it’s safe to assume he’ll be one of the six NL outfielders who advance to Phase 2. |
On the four-month anniversary of his season debut, it’s evident Acuña remains elite, even with a pair of surgically-repaired knees. Here is where he ranks among all MLB players in these major offensive categories going back to when he was activated from the injured list on May 23. Batting Average: .390 (2nd) On-base pct.: .495 (1st) Slugging pct.: .720 (1st) Home Runs: 8 (4th) OPS: 1.215 (1st) While he’s not yet stealing bases like he did during the 40-70 season that netted him the NL MVP Award, it’s almost like he has picked up where he left off two years ago. Asked how he feels in comparison to that 2023 season, the dynamic outfielder smiled and said, “Much better.” The numbers back up his assessment. Here are his best OPS marks through the first 24 games of any of his eight seasons. 2025: 1.184 2021: 1.148 2020: 1.014 2023: .988 Despite missing the Braves’ first 49 games, Acuña is on pace to hit 39 home runs. “My main concern is just doing anything I can to help my team win and to just enjoy myself out there,” Acuña said. |
Acuña’s incredible power accounts for just some of the entertainment he can provide every time he steps on a field. He turned two on Juan Soto after making a great catch at the wall in Tuesday’s win and his arm is as good as any Braves outfielder I can remember, in terms of both strength and accuracy. Acuña ranks third among MLB outfielders with the 97.6 mph average he has generated with his throws this year. “It’s like I’ve always said, you never know what you could miss if you get up to get a beer or something when he is at the plate or in the field,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. |
|
|
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
Jeff Francoeur, Brian McCann and a bunch of other rookies from the 2005 class became known as the Baby Braves. Well, we now truly have a Baby Brave. Didier Fuentes, who was born on June 17, 2005, will make his MLB debut when he starts Friday night’s series opener for Atlanta in Miami. Fuentes, who ranks as the Braves’ No. 10 prospect, will be MLB’s youngest starting pitcher since the Dodgers’ Julio Urías started against the Phillies at 19 years and 362 days on Aug. 8, 2016. He’ll become Atlanta’s youngest starter since Mike McQueen was 19 yrs and 297 days when he started against the Dodgers on June 23, 1970. He’ll also become Atlanta’s youngest pitcher since McQueen made a relief appearance at 20 years and 2 days on Sept. 1, 1970. This will be just a spot start that allows the Braves to give their starters an extra day of rest, and also include Spencer Schwellenbach among the projected starters for next week’s series against the Mets in New York. |
|
|
Grant Holmes’s performance against the Rockies on Sunday made him the only Braves pitcher to tally 15-plus strikeouts over seven innings or less. Who holds the MLB record for most strikeouts in an outing that consisted of no more than seven innings? A. Randy Johnson B. Dwight Goooden C. Chris Sale D. Blake Snell |
|
|
A SECOND STRAIGHT CY YOUNG? |
After Chris Sale came within one out of a shutout on Wednesday, I asked him if he had envisioned returning to this elite level so quickly after producing a 6.17 ERA through this year’s first five starts. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner has posted a 1.23 ERA over the 10 starts that have followed, going back to April 30. That’s MLB’s best mark during this span, sitting just ahead of the ones constructed by the Pirates’ Paul Skenes (1.25) and last year’s American League Cy Young Award winner, the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal (1.61). “Well, I never tried to suck, it just kind of happened,” Sale said before crediting his teammates and coaches for helping him quickly turn things around. So, in exchange for Vaughn Grissom, the Braves received one of the game’s top starting pitchers, who also happens to be one of the best personalities to inhabit their clubhouse in recent memory. Oh yeah, they also got $16 million from the Red Sox. And you thought the Rafael Devers return was light? |
|
|
C. Chris Sale Sale had 17 strikeouts in seven innings for the Red Sox against the Rockies on May 14, 2019. A pitcher has notched 16-plus strikeouts over seven innings or fewer just 10 times since 1901. Randy Johnson accounted for three of these occasions within a little more than two months in 2001 (July 18, Aug. 23 and Sept. 27). |
|
|
FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW |
|
|
To subscribe to Braves Beat, visit this page and mark "Braves Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Braves or that they're checked as your favorite team. |
|
|
|
