Braves Analytics: Ronald Acuña Jr. is Truly a Phenom

Ronald Acuña Jr. has done nothing but impress since arriving in Atlanta in 2018. Just how good has El Abusador been for the Braves in 2020?

We’ve always known that Ronald Acuña Jr. has the ability to become one of the best in the game. However, I’m not sure we thought he would be this good this quickly.

In 31 games, and 134 plate appearances, Acuña is hitting .267/.414/.612/1.016 with 11 home runs, 32 runs, 22 RBIs, and a 167 wrc+. Add on 6 stolen bases and, in a 60 game season, that’s an elite stat line.

Along with the great Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuña has arguably been the best hitter for the Braves in 2020. Which is saying a lot considering the entire Atlanta Braves lineup has been raking this season, even scoring 29 runs in one game!

Let’s take a look at the improvements Acuña has made from 2019 to 2020 that has allowed him to take this next step forward.

Taking a huge step forward

Acuña has seen him numbers improve across the board. His OPS in 2019 was .883 and is up to 1.026 in 2020.

With the shortened season, it’s reasonable to think Acuña could maintain this ridiculous OPS pace. Especially if he continues doing what he’s doing at the plate.

Let’s start with his walk rate. One popular criticism seen online about Acuña is that he doesn’t get on base enough to bat in the leadoff spot.

In 2019 he had a walk rate of 10.6%. So far in 2020, he’s seen his walk rate increase to 19.3%.

Not only is this due to Acuña becoming more selective and patient at the plate, but one would have to imagine pitchers aren’t as willing to challenge him and nibbling more. This explains the 70 point jump in OBP for Acuña, which is a positive because getting on base more provides more opportunities for guys like Freddie Freeman, Marcell Ozuna, and Dansby Swanson.

This patience has transformed to Acuña into an even better hitter than he already was, which has to be terrifying for opposing pitchers. Looking at the numbers, he’s improved his xSLG from .579 to .651, wOBA from .369 to .436, and xwOBA from .393 to .443.

In English, he’s putting better swings on the baseball, which is providing him with a higher chance of a successful outcome at the plate. This is also evident by seeing his hard hit percentage rise from 47.4% in 2019 to 56.2% so far in 2020.

Another positive is seeing Acuña’s line drive percentage rise to 30.1%. Remember, a line drive is the optimal outcome for a hitter, and hitting the ball harder and on a line is the ideal outcome.

If there is one criticism of Acuña’s game, it is the strikeouts. He currently has a strikeout rate of 27.1% and his career rate is right at 26.0%.

While Acuña makes up for this by doing nearly anything else at an elite level, it is something the Braves would like to see improved upon in the future. If Acuña can find a way to cut down the strikeout rate to an average percentage, around 20%, then he has a chance to take another step forward.

However, if Acuña continues to put up elite power numbers, with an elite walk rate, then the Braves could be willing to look past a less than stellar strikeout percentage.

Maybe the most important number when discussing Ronald Acuna is the number 22. He’s only 22 years old and is only in his third year in the major leagues

Ronald Acuña has already done things that no one else has. Look at this remarkable stat:

He’s only 22. There’s a very real possibility he’s going to get even better.

Ronald Acuña has shown signs that he is indeed that generational level talent that teams only dream of finding. Thankfully, the Braves locked up Ronald for a very long time, and could possibly have the next big superstar in all of baseball.