Ronald Acuña Jr. (26, Atlanta Braves), who has been sensational since opening day, finished the first half in top form.
In 89 games over the first half, Aquino Jr. hit .331 with 21 home runs, 55 RBI, 79 runs scored, 119 runs batted in, a .408 OPS and a .990 slugging percentage. Add to that 44 stolen bases.
It’s led to Atlanta’s major league lead, and Acuña Jr. is now the favorite to win the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
He’s played much better than anyone expected before Opening Day. While he was considered an MVP candidate, he wasn’t at the top of the list.메이저사이트
This was due to the major injury he suffered in 2021 and his performance last year. Acuña Jr. was lost for the season with a knee injury in the middle of the 2021 season. He underwent major surgery.
He returned last year, but only managed to hit .266 with 15 home runs, a .351 slugging percentage, and a .764 OPS in 119 games. He stole 29 bases.
Clearly unsatisfactory performance. There was some speculation that Acuña Jr. had lost much of his athleticism in the aftermath of his knee surgery.
However, this was not the case. Acuña Jr. had been hitting incredibly well from the start of the season, and he continued to take advantage of the limited number of walks and the increased size of the bases.
Ronald Acuña Jr. photo by Getty Images Korea
As a result, Acuña Jr. is currently on pace for a minimum of 30 home runs and 60 doubles and a maximum of 40 home runs and 80 doubles. Both are firsts in Major League Baseball history.
This performance was reflected in his first-place finish in All-Star voting. As a result, Aquino Jr. was named to the All-Star team for the fourth time in his career.
Arguably the most decorated player in the game right now, it will be interesting to see if he can carry his momentum into the second half of the season.