On Monday, MLB announced the players of the week for the NL and AL. And with it being well deserved, Ronald Acuña Jr. won it after being blazing hot in the midst of August. The 20-year-old phenom pushed himself to the front runner of the NL Rookie of the Year. He has been the best hitter on the Braves lately. And this is only the beginning.
Last week, the kid slashed a line of .464/.559/.954. He became the youngest player ever to homer in 5 straight games, and 3 straight to lead off the game. He also racked up a 296 wRC+ and moved his fWAR up to 2.5.
Trying to stretch his leadoff home run streak to 4, Acuña was hit in the first pitch of the game by Marlins pitcher Jose Urena. Urena drilled him with a 97 mph 2-seam fastball to the elbow. It was the fastest first pitch to start off a game in his career, and his last for 6 games (6 game suspension).
Acuña has by far shown he is ready for the show. He is helping the Braves to a postseason run, all while being the second youngest position player in baseball. This is only the beginning for Ronald Acuña Jr.
