The goal is in sight for Acuña: A 40-40 season

NEW YORK -- Ronald Acuña Jr. seems comfortable when asked about his chances of joining baseball's exclusive “40-40” club.

It might be because of how close he came to the achievement in 2019 -- when he finished three steals short -- or simply because the numbers follow him each time he steps into the batter’s box.

“You notice it every day, because when you play, there’s a big screen showing all your stats,” the Braves' outfielder told LasMayores.com in Spanish. “But I think if God wants me to get there, at some point it’s going to happen.”

Given Acuña's combination of power and speed, all eyes are on his chances of joining a club that only has four members: Alfonso Soriano (2006), Alex Rodríguez (1998), Barry Bonds (1996) and José Canseco (1988) are the only players in history to have achieved a 40-40 season. Acuña made history this year as the first player in AL/NL history with at least 20 home runs and 50 stolen bases before the month of August.

Acuña has already checked off one portion of the 40-40 criteria, and as far as his home run total goes, 40 still seems realistic. The Venezuelan-born right fielder entered play Saturday with 26 homers in 114 games, which is more or less on par with his 2019 pace, when he had 27 dingers after the same number of games.

In the stolen-base department, Acuña has swiped 54 bags so far this year. That leads the Majors, with eight more than the player in second place (Esteury Ruiz of the A's, the American League leader, with 46 steals).

Nonetheless, although he is aware of how close he came to the milestone in the past and of his chances of achieving it this year, his focus right now is being on the field every day.

“I want to do it, really,” Acuña said. “But I don’t have it as a goal, that I want to achieve this or that. My main focus is staying healthy. That’s what’s most important -- health. As long as you are healthy, you can think about what to do on the field. At the end, in September, October, you’ll see the numbers.”

The health that Acuña references and that he has enjoyed this year may keep him from dwelling on the stats that flash during practically every step he takes on the field.

What did frustrate him to some extent was his inability to play at his best in 2022 following the right knee surgery he underwent in '21 to repair a torn ACL he suffered midseason. That’s why what he’s accomplished so far this season has a greater significance for Acuña.

In addition to his 26 home runs and 54 stolen bases, Acuña ranks second in the Senior Circuit with a 1.003 OPS to go along with a .338/.422/.581 slash line -- and he is among the top three in the National League in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging.

“I’m happy and grateful to God,” Acuña said. “I really went through a difficult time. I think last year was one of the hardest moments for me, dealing with the knee, because sometimes I would wake up fine, sometimes I would wake up in pain. But this year I’m healthy, thank God.”