Atlanta Braves Community Mourns Their Iconic Coach Brian Snitker Who Sadly Kicked The Bucket @68 The Venezuelan right fielder is on pace to have easily the worst season of his career after dealing with “meniscus irritation” in his surgically repaired right knee during spring training. He is hitting.242 with just three home runs and nine total extra-base hits in 41 games.
In 2023, he led MLB in hits and runs while establishing the “40-70 Club” with 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases. Upon his arrival to the major leagues as a 20-year-old, he hit.293 with 26 home runs and 64 RBI in 111 games.
“I’m not that good right now, I don’t know if it’s timing or what,” Acuna Jr. admitted to David O’Brien of The Athletic following the terrible game.
Despite these difficulties, supporters of Acuna Jr. should remain optimistic. BaseballSavant estimates that despite his lack of success, he should bat.266, which is 24 points higher than his actual average and would put him on par with Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees.
The major leaguer’s hard-hit ball percentiles for him are in the 87th, walk rate and average exit velocity are in the 89th, and bat speed is in the 98th percentile. Therefore, even though his conventional metrics don’t meet his typical caliber, the underlying metrics indicate that he hasn’t.
Zach Eflin, the starting pitcher for the Rays, is apparently a trade target for the Braves later in the season.
For USA Today, Bob Nightengale writes, “Atlanta is keeping a close eye on Tampa Bay Rays veteran starter Zach Eflin should they decide they need another starter at the trade deadline.”
Zach Eflin is a player who Braves fans should be well familiar with. He was drafted by the Phillies and played for them for the first seven years of his career before agreeing to a $40 million, three-year contract in December 2022 with the Rays. Eflin had a spectacular year in Tampa Bay the previous season, finishing sixth in the AL Cy Young race with a 3.50 ERA and 3.01 FIP.
This season’s figures aren’t quite as seductive. With ten starts under his belt, Eflin has a 4.12 ERA and is only striking out 6.7 batters per nine innings. But his 3.68 FIP indicates that he’s had some terrible luck, and most significantly, he doesn’t walk anyone. With a career average of just 1.9 walks per nine innings, Eflin has always been a strike thrower. This season, he leads the majors with 0.6 walks per nine.
