Ronald Acuña Jr. struggled in 2022 for the Atlanta Braves, and I have a theory as to why.
Ronald Acuña Jr. broke onto the scene for the Atlanta Braves in 2017 and has been a star for the team and MLB ever since. However, an ACL tear in July of 2021 had him sidelined until the end of April 2022. After making his return, he seemingly hadn’t missed a beat. He stole two bases in his first game back and got off to a hot start at the plate. This video posted by MLB’s official account in May summed up how his first month or so back went.
After this, however, he struggled. At the plate, his numbers were nowhere near his career averages, and in the field, he looked skittish at times. Now normally this slump would be expected for a player coming off such a major injury, but it is shocking after Acuña set the bar so high with his electric first month. This begs the question, where did it all go wrong? I looked at some stats, and I believe I have the answer.
Before June 13th, Ronald Acuña Jr.’s stats were right at what we have come to expect of the young superstar. With 150 plate appearances, he had a slash line of .306/.407/.516, 6 home runs, 11 stolen bases, and a WRC+ of 155. All incredible stuff. His numbers from June 14th onward, however, were much bleaker. After that day, his line of .251/.329/.376 and WRC+ of 98 were a far cry from what he had shown during the rest of his career, and the first month of his season. This poor stretch brought his season numbers to a point where 2022 was clearly the worst statistical season of his young career.
So, why did this happen? There is a reason I picked June 13th as the cutoff day to analyze his stats. On June 13th, Ozzie Albies fractured his foot in a game against the Washington Nationals. It is well known that Acuña and Albies are great friends, having come up together in the Braves minor league system. Because of this, one can wonder how much not having his best friend on the field with him plays into these struggles. Baseball is very much a mental game, and having someone by your side for years at every professional level, and suddenly not seeing them every day is undoubtedly a challenge. Interestingly enough, Ozzie Albies had similar struggles after Acuña’s injury last year. Before the injury on July 10th, his WRC+ of 115 was nothing to scoff at and above his carer average. After Acuña went down, however, the 98 WRC+ he finished with is below-league average. Ozzie Albies did return for two games in September, and Acuna responded with 3 hits, two home runs, and 6 runs batted in. Sadly, Albies re-injured himself on the 17th and did not return for the rest of the season. However, in that admittedly tiny sample size, we saw the effect that his presence can have on Acuna’s play.
In reality, I can’t say for certain that Albies’ absence truly affected Ronald Acuña Jr.’s performance in a significant way, especially with the major injury he went through. All I can do is present the stats and make a hypothesis. The 162-game season is a grind, and it makes sense that having a close friend by your side every day would have a positive effect on your performance, especially one you are competitive with that pushes you to be better. The good news for Acuña and the Braves is that Albies should be starting at second base on Opening Day in 2023. They have greatly missed his production on the field, as well as the energy he brings to the clubhouse. Hopefully, this energy specifically boosts one member of the team, and we get to enjoy watching Ronald Acuña Jr. blast baseballs into orbit like he once was doing on a regular basis.
