Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. made history on Monday, becoming the first and only player in either American or National League history to record 20 or more home runs, 40 or more stolen bases, and 50 or more runs batted in prior to the All-Star break, according to MLB's official Twitter account.
Acuña notched his latest round number in the third inning of Atlanta's contest against the Cleveland Guardians (GameTracker). That's when, after reaching base on a single, he stole second off rookie right-hander Gavin Williams. Acuña subsequently scored on a single by second baseman Ozzie Albies.
Acuña, 25, entered Monday hitting .336/.415/.604 (170 OPS+) with 21 home runs, 54 runs batted in, and 39 stolen bases on 46 attempts. Here's where he ranked in each category within the NL coming into play:
- Home runs: 6th (seven back of 1st)
- Runs batted in: 7th (14 back of 1st)
- Stolen bases: 1st (15 ahead of 2nd)
Acuña is not, at least at this point, a realistic candidate to win the first NL Triple Crown since Joe Medwick in 1937. Nevertheless, he could secure the first 40-40 season since Alfonso Soriano back in 2006:
| Player | Season | HR | SB |
|---|---|---|---|
Alonso Soriano | 2006 | 46 | 41 |
Alex Rodriguez | 1998 | 42 | 46 |
Barry Bonds | 1996 | 42 | 40 |
Jose Canseco | 1988 | 42 | 40 |
As you can see, the most home runs ever hit by a player in a 40-steal season is 46. The most home runs ever hit by someone with at least 50 steals -- a number that seems inevitable for Acuña -- is 37, by Eric Davis back in 1987. Only one other player, Barry Bonds in 1990, has ever homered 30-plus times during a 50-steal season.
Acuña, then, seems poised to make even more statistical history as the summer burns on.
