The Atlanta Braves are among the best teams in baseball yet again this season. To nobody’s surprise, star outfielder Ronald Acuña is a big reason why, and he set an insane record in their game against the Miami Marlins on Friday night.
What makes Acuña such a great hitter is his elite power without sacrificing contact paired with blazing speed. He came into Friday’s game near the top of the MLB in both stolen bases and home runs on the year.
Acuña added to both categories in Friday’s game, stealing a base in the bottom of the fourth inning and hitting a home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. His home run helped put an exclamation point on a dominant 16-4 victory.
Ronnie ROCKET! 🚀@ronaldacunajr24 | #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/UGFobXmdBq
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 1, 2023
His 37 steals on the year ties a career-high in a season, which is simply absurd to do before the All-Star break. That along with his 20 home runs makes Acuña the first player in MLB history to hit 20 or more home runs and steal 35 or more bases before the All-Star break.
.@ronaldacunajr24 is the first player in AL/NL history with 20+ HR and 35+ SB before the All-Star break. https://t.co/UVAzI1G1VU
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) July 1, 2023
If this wasn’t impressive enough, Acuna also holds a .334 batting average, which is the second-best in the league behind Marlins star Luis Arraez.
It’s only June, but many fans see Acuna as the clear leader in the race for the National League MVP this season.
Shohei Ohtani gets most of the attention but Ronald Acuna Jr's Season so far deserves plenty of attention. If Acuna was playing for the Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs, or Red Sox, he'd be the talk of Baseball right now. https://t.co/SBwiPCsm8D
— Andrew Sheehy (@andrewsheehy228) July 1, 2023
Wanna know who the MVP is cmon man https://t.co/FRpufMuFFQ
— EJ Nation 2023 (@EJNation915) July 1, 2023
Best player in baseball!!! https://t.co/VD8DvToTp2
— Jeff Huffman (@Huff4vols) July 1, 2023
This dude is so fun to watch https://t.co/biW8R0aM1q
— Ian Benjamin (@IanBenjamin11) July 1, 2023
— Tomás Ó Caoindealbháin (@TJQ615) July 1, 2023
Once again there’s 8 games left before said All-star break https://t.co/XBXVuVjXZB
— Mr. Dankman (@drew_dank) July 1, 2023
The Braves as a whole have been terrific at the plate in the month of June, even setting an NL record this month for the most home runs by a team in any month with 61.
With tonight's game, the Braves have set a new National League all-time record for home runs in a month (61).#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/XC4yc4KJQ1
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 1, 2023
