Ronald Acuña Jr. is not just a star for the Atlanta Braves, he is a star for anyone’s fantasy baseball team in 2021 and beyond.
It is time to start setting those fantasy baseball draft dates, run some mock drafts, and do some research on potential sleepers. Of course, we all want to know when we can draft our favorite Atlanta Braves players in our fantasy drafts.
Over the next few weeks, we will look at several Braves players and their potential fantasy baseball impact. We will start with Ronald Acuña Jr.
2020 stats: .250/.406/.581 14 HRs, 46 Rs, 29 RBIs, 8 SBs, & 158 wrc+
162-game pace: 37.8 HRs, 124.2 Rs, 78.3 RBIs, 21.6 SBs
2021 ZiPs Projection: .282/.390/.568 43 HRs, 134 Rs, 115 RBIs, 33 SBs, & 145 wrc+
Ronald Acuña Jr. is projected to lead MLB in home runs, per ZiPS, with 43
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) February 27, 2021
The last Braves player to lead the Majors in homers was Andruw Jones, with 51 in 2005
Let's watch Acuña hit some home runs ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/n762d4Hj2N
If Ronald Acuña Jr. is available when it is time to draft, draft Ronald Acuña Jr.
What makes Acuña a top fantasy baseball asset? It is really quite simple.
There are players who can hit 30+ HRs. There are players who can steal 30+ bases. There are not many guys who can hit 30 HRs AND steal 30 bases.
Acuña has the potential to hit 40 HRs and steal 40 bases.
Since 2000, there have been 9 players with 15 HR/25 SB seasons before turning 24:
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) March 3, 2021
Jose Reyes
Hanley Ramirez
Mike Trout
Carl Crawford
Ronald Acuña
Matt Kemp
Andrew McCutchen
Byron Buxton 👀
Victor Robles 👀
Pretty nice company.
Early production + prospect pedigree = 🎯
Acuña has an elite power/speed combination that really separates him from other players in fantasy baseball. He provides five-category production that will prove valuable whether fantasy players play in category or roto leagues.
Take a look at what Ronnie did in 2019: .280/.365/.518 41 HRs, 127 Rs, 101 RBIs, and 37 SBs. For fantasy baseball purposes, there is no weakness.
Another great aspect to consider when drafting Braves players is the fact that they are in a strong lineup. If Acuña consistently gets on base, he will have Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna, Travis d’Arnaud, and even Dansby Swanson hitting behind him in some order.
Those guys are more than capable at the plate and should be able to help bring Acuña around to score on a consistent basis.
We should not have to worry about Acuña at the plate in 2021, look at his baseball savant page and peak at his advanced metrics for his career.
Ronald Acuña (league average in parenthesis):
- Barrel %: 14.4% (6.4%)
- Exit Velocity: 90.4 (88.3)
- Sweet Spot %: 37.3% (32.8%)
- xBA: .276 (.243)
- xSLG: .563 (.402)
- wOBA: .383 (.318)
- xwOBA: .392 (.312)
- xwOBAcon: .500 (.362)
- Hard Hit %: 48.1% (35.1%)
Acuña is a special talent, and he is only getting better. This is exciting for Braves fans and fantasy baseball players.
If healthy, one can expect Acuña to put together an OPS north of .900, 35+ HRs, 25-30 SBs, and 220 runs plus RBIs. However, we also know he has the ability to get close to a 40/40 season with 240+ runs plus RBIs.
Acuña has his sights set on a big year in 2021, look at what his buddy Ozzie Albies said heading into the 2020 season before it got cut short.
Ozzie Albies on Ronald Acuña Jr.’s 40-40 chase:
— Zach Dillard (@Zach_Dillard) February 12, 2020
“He’s talking about 50-50.”
When the fantasy drafts start up, and when one has a top pick, do not overthink it. Draft Ronald Acuña Jr. and enjoy the results.