Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves

Leadoff: Take a look at the crazy numbers Ronald Acuna is putting up

1. His full name is Ronald Jose Acuna, and he was born Dec. 18, 1997 in La Guaira, Venezuela. 2. The Braves signed Acuna in July 2014, and the scout who signed him, Rolando Petit, tried to sign Acuna’s dad in the 1990s. 3. Acuna's dad, Ron Acuna, played in the Mets, Blue Jays and Brewers organizations from 1999-2006, reaching as high as Double-A. 4. Ronald Acuna played in Australia in November and December 2016. In 20 games, he had an OPS of 1.001. 5. In 2017, Acuna became the youngest MVP in the Arizona
By
Aug 14, 2018

Braves phenom Ronald Acuna is putting up big numbers so fast that it’s hard to keep up with all of them. So here’s a summary:

4: That's how many players in MLB history have led off both games of a doubleheader with a home run – Harry Hooper (May 30, 1913), Rickey Henderson (July 5, 1993), Brady Anderson (Aug. 21, 1999) and Acuna (Monday).  Hooper and Henderson are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

10: That's how many home runs Acuna has hit since moving to the top of the Braves' batting order 23 games ago. He has hit four leading off a game.

4: That is the number of consecutive games (through Monday) in which the 20-year-old Acuna has hit a home run, making him the youngest player in MLB history to homer in four consecutive games.

6: That's how many home runs Acuna has hit in the Braves' past seven games.

3: That's how many Braves players over the past 110 seasons have hit 15 career home runs before age 21 – Andruw Jones (26), Eddie Mathews (25) and Acuna (17 and counting). Acuna doesn't turn 21 until December.

5-for-8, 5 RBI, 5 runs, 2 HR, 2 walks, 1 double, 1 stolen base: Those are Acuna's box-score totals from Monday's doubleheader sweep of the lowly Miami Marlins.

11: That's how many points Acuna raised his batting average for the season Monday, from .271 at the start of Game 1 to .282 at the end of Game 2.

.344: That is Acuna's batting average (31-for-90) since becoming the Braves' leadoff hitter immediately after the All-Star break.

(Sources: Elias Sports Bureau, Baseball Reference, National Baseball Hall of Fame, Braves. All statistics are through Monday’s games.)

* * * 

TODAY’S LEADOFF LINKS

> Mark Bradley revisits the inspired trade in which the Braves acquired Touki Toussaint from the Diamondbacks. Read his column here.

> There is an increasing chance, Chris Vivlamore writes, that Tiger Woods could make his long-awaited return to Atlanta and the Tour Championship. Read the story here.

> As work continues on the makeover of Philips Arena, the Hawks announced Monday that several of the building's new premium spaces are sold out for the 2018-19 season. Read the story here.

About the Author

Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.

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