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ATLANTA -- As Ronald Acuña Jr. progresses through his career, he may do many things seldom seen throughout baseball’s rich history. The Home Run Derby is one of the most exciting events of the year for Major League Baseball – perhaps too exciting, if you ask Braves star Ronald Acuna. He's impacting the people of his home country more than he could ever know. Former White Sox slugger Jose Abreu signed with the Houston Astros on a reported three-year deal. If he wanted to prove he is better than his father then he should try to win in 2021 so he can go head-to-head with Mike Trout who is expected to be in the derby. The younger Guerrero is the favorite to win in 2020 since there is no one else who has ever won the Home Run Derby before.
In the derby, he'll be able to put on a power show beneath the lights of Coors Field. He's been a consistent source of power in the majors, hitting at least 20 home runs in all bar the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The only thing that has prevented Guerrero from winning before is his inability to get on base. He has a good eye at the plate and makes solid contact, but lacks speed and isn't exactly easy to steal bases. However, with the rise of home run totals around the league, there will likely be more than one winner come Sunday night. The Braves granted Acuña, a native of Venezuela, permission to be the designated hitter in five games this winter for the Tiburones de la Guaira of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
Topps September Home Run Challenge Winner Ronald Acuna Jr. /248
In the derby, each participant will take turns hitting from the plate while the other three sit out. The last hitter to bat will be removed after he strikes out or reaches base safely. If there is a tie for last place, then they will continue to play until someone wins or loses by more than one homer. If they are still tied after five rounds, the leader at the time of the final round will win. Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. won the 2022 Venezuelan Home Run Derby Monday night, in an event that several other MLB stars competed in.
The Braves could use a hearty and hale and locked-in Acuña if they want to make up for some early season struggles. The Braves entered Friday night's game with a record on the year, putting them 6 ½ games back of the New York Mets in the National League East. He was dealing with an injured knee that bugged him for much of the season. That seems to have gone away as he put up monster numbers in the Venezuelan Winter League.
Ronald Acuña Jr.: Every homer in 2022
Acuña was expected to make his debut at DH on Wednesday, but pinch hit in Tuesday night’s game and delivered a memorable blast to center field. In the fourth inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, Acuna fell over while taking a swing -- and still launched an absolutely massive home run to deep center field. The official distance was 450 feet with an exit velocity of 111.7 miles per hour. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Acuna has 28 home runs with an exit velocity of 110 miles per hour or more since 2019. That puts him fifth in the majors -- Pete Alonso , Shohei Ohtani , Bryce Harper and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are the players in front of him.
He was selected by the Braves with the ninth pick in the 2015 MLB draft. Guerrero's father, Vlad Sr., played in the Home Run Derby during its inaugural year in 2001. And then there was Braves batting practice pitcher Tomas Perez who came in on the other end of the spectrum Monday night. Perez took the mound as the pitcher for Ronald Acuña Jr.’s Home Run Derby round, and it was stunning to watch how Perez approached the gig. Acuna is one of the brightest young stars in the Major Leagues.
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This was just the second extra-base hit since being activated from the injured list on April 28. He has shown some signs of rust while going 6-for-29 with 13 strikeouts. But his displays of speed and power have proven he is healthy and ready to again be one of the game’s elite players.
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EBay Money Back Guarantee if the return request is made within 3 days from delivery. Hopefully, on top of building Acuña’s confidence for the 2023 season, this stint in Venezuela has rebuilt his power stroke. The Atlanta Braves desperately need him back to his best in the leadoff spot. Acuna had a good, if unspectacular season after returning from last year’s knee surgery. With recent injuries in mind, it’s clear to see why Atlanta doesn’t want to take any chances with Acuña, who is signed through the 2026 campaign, roaming the outfield in Venezuela.
Clearly, though, Acuña had his knee’s safety in mind and took it relatively easy. He was later crowned with an impressive-looking, Pepsi-donned trophy to the tune of fireworks. With Diego Rincones having hit 12 home runs, the onus was on Ronald Acuña Jr. to step up to the plate and hit at least 11.
But now that Acuña is back, they are hoping to find what has been an elusive groove through the season’s first few weeks. The young outfielder’s presence provides a powerful catalyst at the top of the lineup. When he’s not being used as the designated hitter, the outfield defense is not the liability it has been much of this season. According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, Acuña has now hit 32 homers that have had an exit velocity of 110 mph or higher. That’s 24 more than any other Braves player since Statcast began tracking this data in 2015. Acuña’s 450-foot home run came off the bat at 111.7 mph per Statcast.
While it is hard to take much from a batting practice display, last night is a reminder that Acuna Jr. has some of the best power in the game of baseball. Through 90 games played he has 215 hits, 51 walks, and 39 stolen bases. He is coming off a two-homerun game on July 9 against the New York Yankees where he raised his season average from.273 to.280.
You could see the Braves star grow frustrated as the round continued because Perez was all over the place. A hitter wants meatballs middle-middle or middle-in for the Home Run Derby. He was using both sides of the plate, hitting the corners, throwing some breaking balls — basically, Acuña had no chance to get any sort of rhythm at all. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. The original intention for him going down there was for him to get some confidence in his knee and for the Braves to keep him happy.
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