Ronny rocketing around the bases at historic rate

Our Noah Griffith has thoughts on Ronald Acuña Jr's prolific baserunning this season

Acuña matata. Okay, I might have added a teeny little accent mark, but it’s for good reason.

The Lion King taught us that the saying means no worries for the rest of your days. Well, when Ronald Acuña Jr. is on base, it’s opposing defenses who are doing the worrying.

75 games into the season, the leading NL All-Star vote getter has swiped 33 bags, 2nd most in the MLB and four under his career best single season mark. And he’s only been caught six times.

This has him below just the A’s Esteury Ruiz (39) for the MLB lead in steals, and he’s looking like a potential candidate to challenge Otis Nixon’s franchise record 72 steals in a season that hasn’t been contested since it was accomplished in 1991.

With this year’s introduction of bigger bases, increasing from 15 to 18 inches square, there has been an obvious increase in aggressiveness from the already-dynamic Acuña. The rule change has been seemingly synchronized with his return to full health this season.

While those factors seem like fine print compared to Acuña’s hot bat this season, his baserunning has made him a gamechanger in ways that stats can’t fully explain. But I’ll give it a go anyway.

Combined with a .403 OBP, 16 home runs and 171 total bases, the leadoff hitter’s ability to swipe the extra bag has put him at the top of the MLB in runs scored with 66. At 100 hits with a .329 batting average, he already makes a great case for being the most explosive leadoff batter in the game. Add in 33 stolen bases and three times this season snatching third base and catching a defense napping, there really is no resting when he’s on base. Even in the case that he stays put, his threatening presence is taking extra attention from the infield to hold him where he is, making the two hole in Atlanta a money hole.

The Braves have had Matt Olson and now Ozzie Albies following Acuña in the lineup this year, and both sluggers are top 10 in the MLB in RBI, with 55 and 53, respectively. Those guys are also the Braves’ top two home run hitters, with Acuña nipping at Albies’ heels.

Not only is the distraction of Acuña on the base paths helping get them good pitches to hit, it’s getting himself good pitches to hit. Who would want to walk a guy who is a constant threat to steal? His 37 walks and 62 singles this year all seem like potential doubles or triples. And he’s only struck out 45 times.

So pick your poison, pitchers. No matter what they throw him, he’s going to make his way around the bases. He trails only Shohei Ohtani in total bases by four, walks by two and has 17 more hits and 26 fewer strikeouts.

I don’t bring up Ohtani to start debates but to show that Acuña changes the game in ways even the most daunting hitters don’t.

He accounts for over half of the Braves’ 54 stolen bags – which ranks 15th in the league as a team. And he is leading a charge for a Braves team that ranks third overall in runs with 414 (Rangers- 455, Rays- 444), as well as first in homers with 134 and first in the NL in hits (693).

At 48-27, the Braves have the best record in the NL and rank second in the MLB to the Rays. This isn’t just good – it has potential to be historic. Acuña is on pace for about 71 stolen bases, and the Braves are on pace to win 104 games – both ranking just below franchise records. Atlanta’s stolen base record is 72, held by Otis Nixon in 1991, and the franchise’s most regular-season wins was 106 in 1998.

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