Braves should be thankful Ronald Acuña Jr. skipped Venezuelan league after massive melee
The Atlanta Braves should be grateful their superstar outfielder was absent from the Venezuelan League Championship.
By Steven Teal
It's no secret how valuable Ronald Acuña Jr. is to the Atlanta Braves organization. He is their top talent and is dedicated to being the best baseball has to offer. That is why he decided to participate in the Venezuelan League again in 2023 instead of taking a break.
It shows just how much he loves the game of baseball and he's been showing out since the league started. Ronald even accepted the NL MVP award while in the locker room before a game. I'd say he's been enjoying his time.
He has been playing with Tiburones de La Guaria pretty much since the MLB season concluded. He picked up right where he left off during the 2023 season, hitting the ball all over the field, slugging homers, and stealing bases. However, he stepped away from the team before the Round Robin tournament began.
Fortunately for him and the Braves, he was missing from the Venezuelan League Championship where a huge brawl broke out on the field involving essentially every player from both teams.
This just happened in the Venezuelan Championship Series. Thank God Ronnie is not there right now. https://t.co/ek1CkO5Nlg
— Beaneater Buzz (@BeaneaterB) January 25, 2024
Yasiel Puig found himself in the middle of a brawl yet again pic.twitter.com/OdCoXTsd7h
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) January 26, 2024
It was absolute bedlam on the field. Not sure what sparked this incident as nothing has been reported on what happened yet. Regardless, these players were not holding back and left it all on the field. Former MLB outfielder and almost Atlanta Brave Yasiel Puig was right in the middle of the action.
The talented Atlanta outfielder was absent for this game due to the Braves wanting him to focus on preparing for the 2024 MLB season as Spring Training approaches. They did not permit him to return to the team for the Finals.
It seems the teams instinct to not allow Acuna to return to the Tiburones was indeed the right call.
Had Acuna been present he could have been right in the center of the melee and ended up injured and unable to return to the team seeking a chance at a second consecutive NL MVP title. The competitor in Acuña Jr. is likely upset he wasn't able to be there to help his team win but Atlanta is going to want to protect their best player.
Atlanta has already been without their superstar due to injury once and it was hard to not see him on the field doing what he does best. This protected him from potentially missing out on an incredible opportunity to repeat as the MVP and help Atlanta win another World Series.
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