{"id":57619,"date":"2025-05-26T08:19:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T08:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=57619"},"modified":"2025-05-26T08:19:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T08:19:03","slug":"battery-power-braves-player-of-the-week-ronald-acuna-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=57619","title":{"rendered":"Battery Power Braves Player of the Week: Ronald Acu\u00f1a, Jr."},"content":{"rendered":"

He was one of the few bright-spots in an otherwise forgettable week.<\/p>\n

Friday night, the Atlanta Braves, their fans, and all of Major League Baseball were reminded why Ronald Acu\u00f1a, Jr. is on the short-list of the game\u2019s best players.<\/p>\n

On the first pitch he saw in almost one calendar year, he blasted the ball 467 feet vociferating his return with style and ironic symbolism as that would be the only run the Braves mustered against the San Diego Padres that night.<\/p>\n

The Braves dropped all but one game this past week – a Saturday night outburst that showed what they could be – but the remaining four games showed who they have been and – at least for now – who they are … a below .500 team.<\/p>\n

For most of 2025, the starting pitching has been the team\u2019s suspenders, holding up the drooping pantaloons of the offense.<\/p>\n

But outside of excellent starts by the rapturous Chris Sale and luscious locks of Grant Holmes, the team\u2019s pitching struggled with Dylan Lee, Raisel Iglesias, AJ Smith-Shawver and Spencer Strider all having week\u2019s they\u2019d rather move to their trash icon and permanently delete.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t just the pitchers that would like to burned this week to the ground. Eli White would likely do a hard reset, as well.<\/p>\n

There were some positives as Matt Olson hit three home runs; Ozzie Albies is carrying a hitting streak that included his first multi-extra-base hit game of the season on Sunday; Marcell Ozuna is still being productive; and Drake Baldwin continues to make people fawn for his procurement of an outfielder\u2019s glove in the hopes that his bat would carry his likely defensive ineptitude in left field.<\/p>\n

Even in the throngs of another week of unthinkable decisions and disastrous outcomes, there was La Bestia.<\/p>\n

\"MLB:<\/picture><\/span><\/span>Photo by Rich von Biberstein\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/cite><\/span><\/figure>\n

Battery Power Braves Player of the Week: Ronald Acu\u00f1a, Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n

How does one describe this weekend\u2019s return of Atlanta\u2019s best player? Go ahead, knock yourself out in the comments, because all of the adjectives and adulation don\u2019t seem to quite do it justice.<\/p>\n

By the time the Braves dropped the final game of the Padres series – and thank goodness the two teams don\u2019t match-up again during the regular season – the man with the flair for the dramatic ended his first three games going 4-for-12 with two home runs, a double, three RBI, two runs scored, an outfield assist and almost a second while looking no-worse-for-the-wear in the outfield.<\/p>\n

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Stream Braves games with FanDuel Sports Network<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Atlanta<\/picture><\/span><\/span>Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn\/Minnesota Twins\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/span><\/figure>\n
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  • Never miss a Braves game with blackout-free streaming with FanDuel Sports Network<\/li>\n
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    The best news of all is that he felt good enough to play in all three games of the series, something that was in question coming into the weekend.<\/p>\n

    Yes, he did strike out six times, but otherwise he looked like a vivacious facsimile of the 2023 version of himself – which was a historic and MVP season for the now 27-year-old superstar.<\/p>\n

    Alas, Acu\u00f1a, Jr.\u2019s excellence wasn\u2019t enough to carry Atlanta to a series victory as they were undone by poor decisions on the field and in the dugout, but for a moment, all was right in the world.<\/p>\n

    Welcome back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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