ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuna Jr.'s torrid second half has led some to believe he might be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Trout as early as next year. The Braves phenom has at least traveled a path similar to the one the Angels superstar navigated during his first season.
Acuna helped the Braves clinch the National League East title as he scored a run during each of the first two innings of Saturday afternoon's 5-3 win over the Phillies at SunTrust Park. His first-inning stolen base made him just the fourth player to record at least 25 homers and 15 stolen bases in his age-20 season or younger.
Alex Rodriguez, Orlando Cepeda and Trout are the only other players in this distinguished club. Trout is the most recent player to accomplish the feat in his rookie season. Acuna has tallied 19 of his 26 homers and 13 of his 15 stolen bases since the All-Star break.
After walking and scoring on Johan Camargo's two-run single in the first, Acuna singled and scored on Freddie Freeman's two-out, two-run single in the second inning. The Braves clinched their first division title since 2013 with the win.