Braves: Ronald Acuna Jr. Starting to Make Push for 40-40

ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 03: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves is chased back to first in the sixth inning of an MLB game against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on June 3, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 03: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves is chased back to first in the sixth inning of an MLB game against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on June 3, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

We’re two-and-a-half months in this season for the Atlanta Braves and Ronald Acuna Jr. needs to pick up the pace to reach 40-40. 

One of the best storylines entering the 2021 season for the Atlanta Braves was the pursuit of a 40-40 season from Ronald Acuna Jr.

I said before that I would continue to update you monthly on his progress, but honestly, he’s been way too far off pace with the stolen bases.

A lot of that had to do with the abdominal injury he sustained earlier in the year.

But he’s picked up the pace lately and see to be running a lot more, so the 40-40 pursuit is back on.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Home Runs

The home runs haven’t been a concern all season as he’s been among the league leaders in home runs for the majority of the year.

He currently has 17 home runs in 57 games played by the Braves. That works out to be 3.35 home runs per team game.

Remember, that’s not based on the number of games Ronald Acuna Jr. played, but the team.

That puts him on pace to hit 48 home runs this season.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Stolen Bases

This is where things get difficult because he’s so far behind pace, but we’ve seen Ronald Acuna Jr. rack up stolen bases in bunches before.

He has 11 bases in 57 team games, which is a stolen base every 5 games. That puts him on pace for 32 stolen bases.

However, as I mentioned, he has picked up the pace a lot lately and been much more aggressive on the base paths.

After stealing just 3 bases in each of the first two months, he already has 5 in June.

Hopefully that means Ronald Acuna Jr. is feeling healthy enough again to run wild. I think the Braves are certainly a better team when that’s happening — and it’s just more fun to watch.

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Again, stolen bases are something Acuna is capable of getting in bunches. And he’s going to need to if he wants to get on pace for a 40-40 season.