Braves: Ronald Acuna Jr. 40-40 Update at Midway Point
Now that we are halfway through the season for the Atlanta Braves we get a good glance at just how realistic it is for Ronald Acuna Jr. to reach 40-40.
Despite the frustration this Atlanta Braves team brings on a nightly basis, you can still tune in every night to see Ronald Acuna Jr. do something special.
Even in their 11-1 drumming by one of the worst teams in baseball on Monday, Acuna managed to put on a show.
The only annoyance with Acuna this year is he seems to have a nagging injury pop up almost every week that keeps him out a game or two.
I really just need him to stay healthy and continue this pursuit of a 40-40 season — it’s really the only thing that makes me happy about this year’s team.
Braves: Acuna Still Looking Good with the Home Runs
Getting to 40 home runs this season has never really been the question for Acuna. He came out mashing with 16 home runs in the first two months of the season (eight in each).
His pace did slow down a bit with just six in June. Still, he has 23 home runs through 84 team games. That puts him on pace for around 44 home runs — wouldn’t that be cool if he hit 44 home runs the season after Hank Aaron’s passing.?
The balls typically fly out more in the summer, and with the crackdown on pitchers using foreign substances, it’s a safe assumption that if healthy Acuna will reach the 40 home run mark.
Braves: Acuna Picks up the Pace with the Stolen Bases
The injuries have really affected Acuna’s ability to steal bases. With abdominal and back pains, it really makes it difficult for him to dive — and he’s not about to slide feet first anytime soon.
He had just 6 stolen bases through the first two months, which obviously put him way behind pace to reach 40.
But Acuna really took off in June stealing 10 bags and pushing that season total up to 16 at the halfway point.
Unfortunately, he’s 0-1 in stealing bags in July and he’s only on pace for 31 stolen bases through the team’s 84 games played.
I’ve said it all year, though, he can pick up stolen bases in bunches. He had 5 stolen bases in a 5 game stretch in early July and had four more in a 7-game stretch in mid-July.
Acuna hasn’t been nearly as aggressive since then with just 1 stolen base since June 18. I think a lot of that has to do with the ailments.
Next. Importance of This Week's Games. dark
When he’s feeling good, he’s going to run. Let just hope he’s feeling good the second half of this season and can pick up the pace even more with the stolen bases.