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Ronald Acuna: The Next National League Rookie of the Year

By Justin Butler

ATLANTA, GA. - MAY 28: Ronald Acuna, Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves watches third-inning action against the New York Mets at SunTrust Field on May 28, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA. - MAY 28: Ronald Acuna, Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves watches third-inning action against the New York Mets at SunTrust Field on May 28, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Ronald Acuna’s latest stats are cementing him as one of the league’s best young players. But will his impressive showing be enough to garner him ROY?

We knew the expectations for Ronald Acuna would be high as he advanced his way through the minor league system. We just didn’t realize that those expectations would be met at such a high rate, in a relatively short amount of time. Acuna missed a month with an anterior cruciate ligament sprain in his left knee. And yet he entered the weekend hitting .287 with 19 home runs and a .918 OPS.

Not impressed? Consider that Acuna, according to Fox Sports Braves, is the youngest player to hit a home run in five straight games. He’s also the youngest to lead off a game with a home run in three straight games. Below Sports Experts shows just some of his other impressive highlights:

However, his stats aren’t just meaningless drops in the bucket from an individualistic standpoint. Acuna’s presence translates in to wins. The Braves are 7-0 when he steals a base. They’re 13-5 when he hits a home run. They are 27-10 when he scores a run, and a staggering 30-13 when he gets a base hit.

But the most astounding info that we have on Acuna is that he’s accomplishing these feats at the ripe age of 20 years old.

Some might think classifying Acuna as the designated shoe in for ROY is a bit premature. After all, Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals is having a historic year of his own. Soto entered the weekend hitting .293 with 15 home runs  with a slugging percentage over .500. His on base percentage is also well above 400. And Soto is a year younger.

You could argue that those stats alone make Soto the clear cut favorite for ROY. But you would be ignoring the fact that while Soto’s numbers are impressive, they haven’t had the impact that Acuna has had in getting wins.

At this point you might be splitting hairs over the best choice for the award. However, Acuna seems to be conceding nothing in what could be one of the closest races of the award in more than a decade. And if he keeps up his torrid pace, Acuna will be the designated winner.

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