NEW YORK — Ronald Acuña Jr. never looked up from his phone. Though he sat just a few feet away in the visiting clubhouse at Citi Field on Friday afternoon, he seemingly couldn’t hear the booming voice of Freddie Freeman, even as his All-Star hype man of a teammate piled on the outsized praise like logs onto a roaring fire. Could Acuña be a 40-40 player someday? It’s not a matter of if, Freeman declared, but when. Could Acuña eventually supplant Mike Trout as the game’s best player? Here, Freeman exercised a measure of restraint. If Trout is No. 1, he said, then Acunã is on track to be 1B, “the Mike Trout of the National League.”
Not long after, Brian Snitker sat in the Braves dugout and approached Acunã’s transcendent skills with nonchalance, the kind brought on by familiarity. Informed of Freeman’s earlier proclamations, the baseball lifer who serves as the Braves’ manager simply shrugged. Then, he offered his own endorsement of Acuña, the 21-year-old phenom. A future 40-40? The NL’s version of Trout? Really? Said Snitker: “He’s that good, yeah.”
There is a major difference, of course. While the Angels have struggled to surround Trout with talent, the Braves have found enough of the right pieces to protect Acuña. It’s a major reason a second consecutive NL East title is within reach. With Sunday’s 2-1 triumph, the Braves won their eighth straight, completing a three-game sweep over the Mets. The Braves lead the division by six games, a comfortable margin despite a sustained charge by the Nationals. It’s made even more impressive by a spate of injuries that would have crushed a lesser team.
For more than a month, the Braves have been without a pair of key bats in the lineup, Nick Markakis and Dansby Swanson. Austin Riley, Ender Inciarte, and most recently, Brian McCann, have since joined them on the injured list. But the Braves have leaned on a consistent quartet atop the lineup. It includes the stalwart Freeman, another young star in Ozzie Albies and the resurgent veteran Josh Donaldson, whose pair of solo shots Sunday provided enough support for left-hander Dallas Keuchel, who tossed seven shutout innings.
Atop it all has been Acuña, the anchor in the leadoff spot on Snitker’s lineup card. He has slugged for power, created havoc on the bases and played solid defense after sliding over to a premium defensive position in center field. Acuña has elevated his game during a critical stretch.
“When you can have Ronald come up and be electric from the first pitch, it sets the tone for the whole team,” Freeman said. “It fires everyone up.”
On Friday, Acuña recorded his league-leading 30th stolen base to go along with his team-leading 36 homers. It officially put him in the 30/30 club, making him the second-youngest to join that elite company, behind only Trout. On Saturday, in a 9-5 victory, Acuña’s two-run single put the Braves ahead for good.
With the banged-up Braves scrambling to keep themselves above the fray, they’ve received elite production from their star. Since Aug. 1, Acuña’s 11 homers trail only the Reds’ breakout star Aristides Aquino for most in the National League. In that same span, Acuña is slashing .302/.380/.677 with an OPS of 1.057. Entering play, his fWAR of 1.4 since the beginning of the month was tied for the league lead with the Rockies’ Trevor Story and the Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto.
“It almost becomes comical what he can do on a baseball field,” Freeman said. “He makes everything look so easy.”
Of course, it isn’t easy. Nor is it a given that having one of the league’s top players is an E-Z Pass to success. Consider Trout’s tenure with the Angels. For all of his brilliance, he’s played in one postseason series. His team has yet to win a single playoff game. That’s been a function of the franchise’s failure to surround him with a proper supporting cast, a theme that defined the Angels’ offseason.
With run prevention as the goal, the Angels handed out one-year deals to righties Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill to bolster the starting rotation. They also signed Cody Allen to solidify the back of the bullpen and veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Power-hitting first baseman Justin Bour was added to the mix to provide some pop. But with August coming to a close, the Angels have long been knocked out of the playoff picture. Horrific performances have earned Harvey, Allen and Lucroy their respective releases. Cahill remains with the organization though he has been demoted to the bullpen. Bour has been optioned to the minors. Total production when measured by fWAR: -2.4. The total outlay: $34.35 million.
Meanwhile, while facing a similar challenge, the Braves didn’t miss. Unlike the Angels, they were coming off a division title. But the NL East was about to get more treacherous. The Phillies spent stupid money to sign Bryce Harper while also trading for Realmuto. The Nationals added Patrick Corbin to a rotation already featuring Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. The Mets told everyone who would listen to “come get us.”
Like the Angels, the Braves found their answers in one-year deals. The most impactful was for Donaldson, whose one-year, $23 million has ranked among the best of the entire offseason. His value has been amplified recently given the Braves’ injuries. The veteran third baseman is slashing .265/.379/.538 with 32 homers. The Braves also brought back Markakis and McCann for a combined $8 million. For $31 million in the offseason, or just slightly less than what the Angels shelled out, the Braves successfully surrounded Acuña with an additional 4.8 wins. That doesn’t even include Kuechel, whose post-draft signing came at a cost of $13 million. The former Cy Young Award winner has a 3.78 ERA in his 13 starts, though he’s trending in the right direction. Over his past three starts — which encompass 19 innings — Kuechel has allowed just one run.
Leading up to the trade deadline, the Braves fortified their notoriously shaky bullpen, adding Chris Martin, Mark Melancon and Shane Greene. And even after the deadline, they’ve been active in adding spare parts such as catcher Francisco Cervelli, defensive shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria and speedster Billy Hamilton.
To be sure, the Braves remain flawed. But in 2019, when the juiced balls have thrown off the equilibrium of the game, such deficiencies are no longer disqualifiers when it comes to competing for a championship. They’ve got young arms in Mike Soroka and Max Fried. Both look like they could be rotation fixtures for years to come. Freeman, Albies and Acuña have all been extended, so they’re not going anywhere. Whether it’s this season, or sometime in the not-so-distant future, a victory parade through Cobb County would not be outlandish.
The conversation perpetually surrounding the Angels has been about not squandering the remainder of Trout’s prime. By contrast, the Braves are well on their way to maximizing their window with Acuña, whose skills only continue to flourish.
Said Freeman: “We’re going to be good for a long time.”
(Photo: Rich Schultz / Getty Images)
Not long after, Brian Snitker sat in the Braves dugout and approached Acunã’s transcendent skills with nonchalance, the kind brought on by familiarity. Informed of Freeman’s earlier proclamations, the baseball lifer who serves as the Braves’ manager simply shrugged. Then, he offered his own endorsement of Acuña, the 21-year-old phenom. A future 40-40? The NL’s version of Trout? Really? Said Snitker: “He’s that good, yeah.”
There is a major difference, of course. While the Angels have struggled to surround Trout with talent, the Braves have found enough of the right pieces to protect Acuña. It’s a major reason a second consecutive NL East title is within reach. With Sunday’s 2-1 triumph, the Braves won their eighth straight, completing a three-game sweep over the Mets. The Braves lead the division by six games, a comfortable margin despite a sustained charge by the Nationals. It’s made even more impressive by a spate of injuries that would have crushed a lesser team.
For more than a month, the Braves have been without a pair of key bats in the lineup, Nick Markakis and Dansby Swanson. Austin Riley, Ender Inciarte, and most recently, Brian McCann, have since joined them on the injured list. But the Braves have leaned on a consistent quartet atop the lineup. It includes the stalwart Freeman, another young star in Ozzie Albies and the resurgent veteran Josh Donaldson, whose pair of solo shots Sunday provided enough support for left-hander Dallas Keuchel, who tossed seven shutout innings.
Atop it all has been Acuña, the anchor in the leadoff spot on Snitker’s lineup card. He has slugged for power, created havoc on the bases and played solid defense after sliding over to a premium defensive position in center field. Acuña has elevated his game during a critical stretch.
“When you can have Ronald come up and be electric from the first pitch, it sets the tone for the whole team,” Freeman said. “It fires everyone up.”
On Friday, Acuña recorded his league-leading 30th stolen base to go along with his team-leading 36 homers. It officially put him in the 30/30 club, making him the second-youngest to join that elite company, behind only Trout. On Saturday, in a 9-5 victory, Acuña’s two-run single put the Braves ahead for good.
With the banged-up Braves scrambling to keep themselves above the fray, they’ve received elite production from their star. Since Aug. 1, Acuña’s 11 homers trail only the Reds’ breakout star Aristides Aquino for most in the National League. In that same span, Acuña is slashing .302/.380/.677 with an OPS of 1.057. Entering play, his fWAR of 1.4 since the beginning of the month was tied for the league lead with the Rockies’ Trevor Story and the Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto.
“It almost becomes comical what he can do on a baseball field,” Freeman said. “He makes everything look so easy.”
Of course, it isn’t easy. Nor is it a given that having one of the league’s top players is an E-Z Pass to success. Consider Trout’s tenure with the Angels. For all of his brilliance, he’s played in one postseason series. His team has yet to win a single playoff game. That’s been a function of the franchise’s failure to surround him with a proper supporting cast, a theme that defined the Angels’ offseason.
With run prevention as the goal, the Angels handed out one-year deals to righties Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill to bolster the starting rotation. They also signed Cody Allen to solidify the back of the bullpen and veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Power-hitting first baseman Justin Bour was added to the mix to provide some pop. But with August coming to a close, the Angels have long been knocked out of the playoff picture. Horrific performances have earned Harvey, Allen and Lucroy their respective releases. Cahill remains with the organization though he has been demoted to the bullpen. Bour has been optioned to the minors. Total production when measured by fWAR: -2.4. The total outlay: $34.35 million.
Meanwhile, while facing a similar challenge, the Braves didn’t miss. Unlike the Angels, they were coming off a division title. But the NL East was about to get more treacherous. The Phillies spent stupid money to sign Bryce Harper while also trading for Realmuto. The Nationals added Patrick Corbin to a rotation already featuring Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. The Mets told everyone who would listen to “come get us.”
Like the Angels, the Braves found their answers in one-year deals. The most impactful was for Donaldson, whose one-year, $23 million has ranked among the best of the entire offseason. His value has been amplified recently given the Braves’ injuries. The veteran third baseman is slashing .265/.379/.538 with 32 homers. The Braves also brought back Markakis and McCann for a combined $8 million. For $31 million in the offseason, or just slightly less than what the Angels shelled out, the Braves successfully surrounded Acuña with an additional 4.8 wins. That doesn’t even include Kuechel, whose post-draft signing came at a cost of $13 million. The former Cy Young Award winner has a 3.78 ERA in his 13 starts, though he’s trending in the right direction. Over his past three starts — which encompass 19 innings — Kuechel has allowed just one run.
Leading up to the trade deadline, the Braves fortified their notoriously shaky bullpen, adding Chris Martin, Mark Melancon and Shane Greene. And even after the deadline, they’ve been active in adding spare parts such as catcher Francisco Cervelli, defensive shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria and speedster Billy Hamilton.
To be sure, the Braves remain flawed. But in 2019, when the juiced balls have thrown off the equilibrium of the game, such deficiencies are no longer disqualifiers when it comes to competing for a championship. They’ve got young arms in Mike Soroka and Max Fried. Both look like they could be rotation fixtures for years to come. Freeman, Albies and Acuña have all been extended, so they’re not going anywhere. Whether it’s this season, or sometime in the not-so-distant future, a victory parade through Cobb County would not be outlandish.
The conversation perpetually surrounding the Angels has been about not squandering the remainder of Trout’s prime. By contrast, the Braves are well on their way to maximizing their window with Acuña, whose skills only continue to flourish.
Said Freeman: “We’re going to be good for a long time.”
(Photo: Rich Schultz / Getty Images)
