Ronald Acuna

27-Year-Old OutfielderOF

Atlanta Braves

Out

Injury Knee

Est. Return 5/1/2025

2024 Stats

AVG

.250

RBI

2025 Projections

AVG

RBI

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2025 Fantasy Outlook

First off the board in nearly all drafts last spring, Acuna suffered a complete tear of the ACL in his left knee in late May, ending his season. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said in November that Acuna is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day in 2025, and he had previously indicated the outfielder's absence could extend into June on the lengthier end of his timetable. Acuna's numbers were down virtually across the board before the injury, as he managed just four homers in 222 plate appearances while his strikeout rate more than doubled to 23.9%. He dealt with meniscus irritation in his right knee in spring training, which could explain some of the issues. A four-time All-Star and former MVP entering his age-27 season, Acuna is on a Hall of Fame trajectory, but the fact that he tore both ACLs in the span of three years has to bring into question his durability and the sustainability of his production, at least to the levels we've seen so far in his career. It may be best to set expectations closer to 2022 when he was coming off his prior knee repair surgery. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

From Preseason

Overall Rank

Dynasty

#27

ADP

League Majors

Bats R

Throws R

40 Man Yes

Height 6'0"

Weight 205

DOB 12/18/1997

Born La Guaira, Venezuela

College None

Drafted 2014 ATL

Could steal fewer bases

OFAtlanta Braves

Knee

February 14, 2025

Acuna (knee) said Friday that he's planning to "take it easy" on the basepaths as he returns from left ACL surgery, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

ANALYSIS
Acuna estimated that he's running at "90 to 95 percent" and said his surgically repaired left knee feels much more stable than his right knee did following a prior ACL surgery. However, it sounds as though he does not intend to be as aggressive on the bases as he was before this most recent operation. While it's an understandable stance to take as Acuna tries to stay healthy, it does put a damper on his stolen base outlook for fantasy purposes. Acuna will not play in Grapefruit League games and is expected to miss roughly the first month of the season, although there's been no concrete timeline provided by Atlanta.

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Batting Stats

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2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

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2023 MLB Game Log

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2022 MLB Game Log

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2021 MLB Game Log

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Batting Order Slot Breakdown

vs Right-Handed Pitchers

vs RHP

vs Left-Handed Pitchers

vs LHP

Left/Right Batting Splits

Since 2022

+6%

OPS vs RHP

2024

+10%

OPS vs LHP

2023

+6%

OPS vs RHP

2022

+9%

OPS vs RHP

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2022vs Left	.837	326	59	13	33	25	.272	.374	.462
Since 2022vs Right	.891	1164	199	47	138	93	.306	.386	.505
2024vs Left	.768	52	8	2	6	3	.244	.346	.422
2024vs Right	.700	170	30	2	9	13	.252	.353	.347
2023vs Left	.964	148	28	8	20	14	.315	.405	.559
2023vs Right	1.024	587	121	33	86	59	.343	.419	.605
2022vs Left	.714	126	23	3	7	8	.234	.349	.364
2022vs Right	.779	407	48	12	43	21	.275	.351	.428
More Splits→	View More Split Stats

Home/Away Batting Splits

Since 2022

+3%

OPS at Home

2024

+38%

OPS on Road

2023

+5%

OPS at Home

2022

+15%

OPS at Home

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2022Home	.895	725	129	30	87	55	.296	.392	.503
Since 2022Away	.865	765	129	30	84	63	.301	.375	.490
2024Home	.595	105	19	0	4	6	.205	.333	.261
2024Away	.819	117	19	4	11	10	.288	.368	.452
2023Home	1.035	361	74	20	52	36	.342	.432	.603
2023Away	.990	374	75	21	54	37	.333	.401	.589
2022Home	.819	259	36	10	31	13	.268	.359	.460
2022Away	.713	274	35	5	19	16	.263	.343	.370
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Stat Review

How does Ronald Acuna compare to other hitters?

This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.

BB/K
Walk to strikeout ratio
BB Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
K Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
BABIP
Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
ISO
Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
AVG
Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
OBP
On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
SLG
Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
OPS
On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
wOBA
Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
Exit Velocity
The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
Hard Hit Rate
A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
Barrels/PA
The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
Expected BA
Expected Batting Average.
Expected SLG
Expected Slugging Percentage.
Sprint Speed
The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
Ground Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
Line Drive %
The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
Fly Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.

BB/K

0.51

BB Rate

12.2%

K Rate

23.9%

BABIP

.326

ISO

.115

AVG

.250

OBP

.351

SLG

.365

OPS

.716

wOBA

.325

Exit Velocity

92.2 mph

Hard Hit Rate

36.7%

Barrels/PA

5.9%

Expected BA

.261

Expected SLG

.427

Sprint Speed

21.5 ft/sec

Ground Ball %

51.1%

Line Drive %

21.6%

Fly Ball %

27.3%

Prospect Rankings History

View Complete Ronald Acuna Prospect Ranking History

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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

Acuna went as the No. 1 overall pick in most fantasy drafts last spring and rewarded that faith by filling up box scores every time he stepped on the field. Not only did he join Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano as the fifth member of the 40-40 club, Acuna also established the 40-50 club, the 40-60 club and the 40-70 club. It was a historically-great individual season that culminated in a unanimous selection for National League MVP. Some amount of natural regression has to be expected in 2024, but there is no evidence suggesting what Acuna did last year was fluky. He ranked in the 100th percentile in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG and average exit velocity while appearing in 159 of a possible 162 regular-season games for the NL East champions. Maybe the steals won't be fully repeatable -- Acuna ranked in just the 65th percentile in sprint speed in 2023 -- but he's a smart baserunner with a perpetual green light under manager Brian Snitker. Entering his age-26 campaign, the superstar outfielder should again be first off the board in every standard league.

The baseball world wondered what Acuna would look like coming off his July 2021 ACL tear. Our answer: He remains one of the most dynamic players in the game. There was no easing back into the running game, as Acuna stole two bases in his return from the injured list April 28 and swiped a total of nine bags in his first 20 games of 2022. The dog days of summer were tough on Acuna, and he finished the year with a .413 SLG, over 100 points below his career mark. However, he still ranked in the top eight percent of the league in all of hard-hit percentage, xwOBA and xSLG, per Statcast. His launch angle was down close to eight points from his prior two seasons. Now that he's further removed from the knee surgery, and perhaps with a few tweaks, Acuna should be able to tap into more power and return to the elite tier of fantasy contributors.

Acuna presents quite the conundrum for 2022 fantasy players. He was the top pick in some 2021 leagues and filled the role admirably until an awkward play into the outfield wall in mid-July resulted in a torn ACL. A leg injury for someone whose game features speed is a problem, not to mention the importance of a hitter's lower half in hitting the ball with authority. Acuna is expected to miss the first few weeks of the campaign but could be cleared to serve as the designated hitter by the end of April, with a return to the outfield potentially coming a month later. It could be tough for Acuna to live up to fantasy expectations this season coming off the injury, but his natural talent and abilities can still take him further than most in his situation.

Acuna was a popular pick at number one overall last offseason, and while he didn't finish as the year's best player, it's hard to say he had a disappointing campaign. His .250/.406/.581 line was good for career highs in the latter two categories and led to a career-best 159 wRC+, though his 30-point drop in average was a blow to fantasy players in most formats. His overall output was also held back by the fact that he appeared in just 45 games, missing time due to a wrist issue among other minor ailments. When active, however, the third-year outfielder demonstrated growth in important areas, improving his BB% from 10.6% to 18.8% while increasing his exit velocity from 90.6 mph to 92.4 mph. If his average remains mediocre this season (his .254 xBA suggests he didn't underachieve there), it will hurt his fantasy value by a small amount, but the overall picture here is of a young phenom continuing to grow.

We may now have the answer to the question: "Who else would you draft 1.1 besides Mike Trout?" Acuna Jr., before his 22nd birthday, led all players in fantasy earned auction value last year while nearly pulling off a 40-40 season, slightly edging out Cody Bellinger in overall value. Christian Yelich would have likely won the title had his season not ended prematurely, but the fact Acuna Jr. began 2017 in High-A and ended 2019 as he did is an astounding feat. His barrel rate last season was in the 95th percentile, as was his xSLG and overall offensive production when putting the ball in play. There simply are not enough superlatives to describe what Acuna Jr. can bring to a fantasy roster as he contributes to all five categories and does so exceedingly well in four of them. His deal keeps him in Atlanta for the foreseeable future and health would be the only thing that could derail this production train.

A lot of top prospects fail to live up to the hype. Acuna was not one of them. After receiving the "Kris Bryant Treatment," Acuna got the call to Atlanta on April 25 and ended up returning top-20 value in the outfield in just 487 plate appearances. The incredible bat speed he showed as a prospect manifested itself right away with Acuna hitting for both average and power. His barrel rate of 8.6 Brls/PA was a top-20 mark in baseball (min. 150 batted-ball events), and his recorded sprint speed was also elite. It's incredible to think of what the numbers could have looked like had Acuna not missed a month with a knee sprain. While it's not wise to prorate stats for most players, Acuna is the rare exception with whom it's totally plausible to think he could keep up a similar rate of production over the course of a full season. There is some swing and miss here (25.3%), but Acuna may lead off for the Braves and his physical tools are right up there with the best of the best.

Not only is Acuna the best prospect in baseball, he might be the best prospect to come along since Mike Trout and Bryce Harper were competing for pole position in 2012. It's incredibly rare for a 19-year-old prospect to earn a promotion to Triple-A, but Acuna, who opened the year at High-A, didn't just stop by to get a lay of the land. He was immediately the best player in the International League and was 62 percent better than the league's average hitter (162 wRC+) over 54 games. Dripping with fantasy-relevant tools, Acuna has the speed to steal 30-plus bases, enough power to hit 30-plus homers and the approach and bat-to-ball skills to hit .300. While he didn't show the same patience last year that he did in his first two professional seasons, he will be an OBP monster when appropriate fear is established in the minds of big-league pitchers. Acuna will be promoted to the majors in mid April, once the Braves have secured an extra year of control, and he could be a five-category force from Day 1.

An under-the-radar July 2 international signee out of Venezuela in 2014, Acuna has hit at every stop in pro ball, showcasing high-end tools along the way. He missed 15 weeks in the middle of the season with a thumb injury, but his .819 OPS would have ranked sixth in the Sally League, just behind top Rockies prospect Brendan Rodgers, if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. At 18, he would have been easily the youngest player in the top-10 on that leaderboard, and his 14 steals in just 40 games serve as another separator. The case can be made that on a per-game basis, Acuna was the most impressive hitter in Low-A last year, when factoring in age. He projects to grow into plus power and should maintain above average speed through his prime years, but we won't know what kind of hitter Acuna will be until he gets a taste of quality offspeed stuff at Double-A and Triple-A.

More Fantasy News

Won't be rushed back

OFAtlanta Braves

Knee

February 11, 2025

Acuna (knee) will be brought along cautiously by Atlanta in order to try and avoid the struggles he experienced in 2022, after his first ACL surgery, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

ANALYSIS
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Likely to miss first month

OFAtlanta Braves

Knee

January 24, 2025

Acuna (knee) is expected to miss the first month or so of the season, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

ANALYSIS
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Unlikely to be ready Opening Day

OFAtlanta Braves

Knee

November 5, 2024

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday it appears unlikely Acuna (knee) will be ready for Opening Day, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

ANALYSIS
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Opening Day still uncertain

OFAtlanta Braves

Knee

October 4, 2024

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos indicated Friday that Acuna (knee) isn't a given to be ready for Opening Day next season, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

ANALYSIS
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Shifts to 60-day IL

OFAtlanta Braves

Knee

June 9, 2024

Atlanta transferred Acuna (knee) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.

ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors

Seems to be pressing

OFAtlanta Braves

May 17, 2024

Atlanta bench coach Eddie Perez and first base coach Tom Goodwin said Wednesday they believe Acuna is pressing offensively, reports Ken Suguira of The Atlanta Journal-Consistution.

ANALYSIS
The 26-year-old was out of the lineup Wednesday for the first time this season, giving him two straight days to reset thanks to Thursday's team off day. Acuna has struggled early in the season with a .245/.354/.342 slash line through 39 games, with a 24.9 percent strikeout rate more than doubling his 11.4 percent mark from 2023. He has just three homers and 11 RBI but has provided value on the basepaths with 14 steals on 16 attempts, though he's also been picked off four times.

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