He’s the only one. Seriously. If you look at a list of every person who has ever played Major League Baseball, there is only one name sitting in the 40-70 room. It’s Ronald Acuña Jr. No one else has ever hit 40 home runs and stolen 70 bases in a single season. Not Rickey Henderson. Not Barry Bonds.
Honestly, the Ronald Acuña Jr. stats from that 2023 MVP run look like someone playing a video game on the easiest difficulty setting. He finished that year with 41 homers and 73 steals. He also led the league in runs (149), hits (217), and total bases (383). It was the kind of year that makes you rethink what’s actually possible on a baseball diamond. But then 2024 happened, and the narrative shifted from "historic dominance" to "heartbreaking injury" in the blink of an eye.
The Ridiculous Reality of the 2023 MVP Season
Most people focus on the 40-70 thing because it’s a nice, round, impossible number. But if you dig into the peripheral Ronald Acuña Jr. stats, the 2023 season gets even weirder. He didn't just run more; he became a much more disciplined hitter.
Check this out: in 2019, he struck out 188 times. In 2023, while playing more games and seeing more pitches, he cut that down to 84. He basically halved his strikeout rate while increasing his power and his speed. His on-base percentage jumped to .416. When a guy who can steal second and third at will is getting on base 40% of the time, the opposing pitcher is basically living in a nightmare.
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- Batting Average: .337 (Career high)
- OPS: 1.012 (First time over 1.000)
- Stolen Base Success: 73-for-87 (84%)
- Hard-Hit Rate: 55.2% (Statcast elite)
He was a unanimous MVP for a reason. There wasn't a single voter who looked at those numbers and thought anyone else was even close.
What Happened in 2024 and 2025?
Baseball is cruel. You probably remember May 26, 2024. Acuña was on the bases in Pittsburgh, made a non-contact move, and his left ACL just gave out. It was his second ACL tear in three years, having lost his 2021 season to the right knee.
His 2024 numbers ended up being a "down" year by his standards—though most players would kill for them. He played just 49 games, hitting .250 with 4 homers and 16 steals before the season ended.
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Coming back in 2025, things were... different. He wasn't the 70-steal monster right away. He was careful. You've gotta be, right? But he still put up numbers that prove he’s a tier-one talent even at 80% health. In 95 games during the 2025 season, he managed to slash .290/.417/.518. He hit 21 home runs. He only stole 9 bases, which tells you everything you need to know about the Braves' medical staff keeping him on a leash.
Career Milestones and the Road to 2026
If you look at his career totals as we head into 2026, the Hall of Fame trajectory is still very much alive. Even with two massive knee surgeries, the cumulative Ronald Acuña Jr. stats are staggering for a guy who just turned 28.
- Home Runs: 186
- Stolen Bases: 205
- Career OPS: .908
- Silver Sluggers: 3
He’s already surpassed Rafael Furcal for the most stolen bases in the Atlanta era of Braves history. He’s chasing down Henry Aaron’s franchise record of 240 steals. Think about that. A kid from La Guaira, Venezuela, is statistically pacing with the greatest Brave of all time.
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Why the "New Rules" Don't Diminish Him
You'll hear old-school fans grumble that the bigger bases and the pitch clock made it easier for him to get 73 steals. Sure, the league environment changed. But if it were that easy, why didn't everyone else do it?
The gap between Acuña and the second-place guy in 2023 (Estuary Ruiz) was 6 steals. The gap between him and the next 40-homer guy’s steals (Shohei Ohtani) was nearly 50. The "rules" exist for everyone, but only Acuña has the specific genetic lottery combination of elite sprint speed and 115-mph exit velocity.
The 2026 Outlook: What to Expect Next
The latest reports from the winter of 2025 are actually pretty hyped. Acuña got the green light to play winter ball in Venezuela for Tiburones de La Guaira. That’s usually the sign that the "careful" phase is over.
When you’re tracking Ronald Acuña Jr. stats this coming season, keep an eye on his first-step quickness. If he’s feeling confident on that left knee again, the stolen base numbers will jump back into the 30s or 40s. He’s signed through 2026 with club options for 2027 and 2028, so he’s playing for that next massive, market-setting contract.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
- Fantasy Value: In 2026 drafts, he's likely a mid-first-round pick rather than the undisputed #1. This is a value opportunity if he's truly past the "mental block" of the injury.
- Stat to Watch: Look at his Walk Rate. In 2025, it stayed high (71 walks in 95 games). This means even if he isn't hitting for a .330 average, he’s still a constant threat to score.
- The Power Peak: Most power hitters peak between 26 and 30. He’s right in the middle of that window. Expect the home run total to push toward 30-35 again.
Check the daily lineups for the Braves' early spring training games. If he's aggressive on the turn at first base, the 2023 version of Ronald might be back. If he’s playing station-to-station, adjust your expectations for his season-long ceiling.