Lumbering through an underwhelming 43-53 season, the Atlanta Braves are looking at the strong likelihood of missing the postseason for the first time in seven years, and are seeking inspiration from wherever they can get it. Luckily for them, though, they still have Ronald Acuña Jr.
In a departure from his usual wizardry with the bat, Acuña Jr instead delivered in the field. In last night’s 7-3 victory over the New York Yankees, a flyout to right field by Yankees first baseman Cody Bellinger with one out in the top of the third inning saw rookie third baseman Jorbit Vivas try to tag up from second base. But even though he caught Bellinger’s fly as far back as the warning track, Acuña Jr recovered to throw an absolute rocket that caught Vivas entirely unawares – and he was not the only one.
Acuña’s Defensive Shift
The surprise in the announcer’s voice, and the lack of slide by Vivas, tell the story of how unlikely of a feat Acuña managed on the play. His throw did not even bounce, airing it out all the way to third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr.
Acuña Jr’s throw had echoes of other great right field throws of yesteryear, not least of which were those of former Yankee and Toronto Blue Jay outfielder, Jesse Barfield. A two-time Gold Glove winner and one-time All-Star, Barfield – who led the American League in outfield assists on five occasions – played the same right field spot Acuña Jr now occupies with a cannon for an arm of his own. Just ask Chili Davis.
Moving exclusively to right field from center over the past couple of seasons has not curtailed Acuña Jr’s defensive prowess any. Indeed, he now has the advantage of having a center field-caliber arm at a corner outfield spot.
Braves Have One Of The Best
There exists a school of thought – albeit not one backed up by rumors – that the struggling Braves might look to make Acuña Jr available at the upcoming trade deadline. There is a difference between placing calls and taking them, with the former being far more indicative of a player’s imminent departure and the latter more a reflection of sensible open-mindedness, yet given that the Braves are not likely to be in contention for anything in 2025 bar a miraculous turnaround in the final third of the season, the possibility exists, at least in theory.
Any team interested in Acuña Jr’s services will already know of his excellence as a hitter. After all, whoever they are, he will likely have hit a lead-off home run against them. On the 2025 season to date, Acuña Jr has hit for a blistering 1.051 OPS, an even better mark than the 1.012 he posted two years ago, a year in which he was unanimously voted the National League’s Most Valuable Player.
With his defensive work to boot, Acuña Jr is unquestionably one of the best players in baseball. And that throw will go down as one of the best, too.
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