The 40/40 Club is an exclusive group of ball players as it only contains four members. Can Ronald Acuna Jr. become the fifth? Jose Canseco became the first member in 1988, then Barry Bonds in 1996, followed by Alex Rodriguez in 1998. Alfonso Soriano was the last to join the club in 2006. It is obvious how hard of a task a 40/40 season is to accomplish given its rarity. The talent and effort it takes to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season requires a special combination of speed, power, and patience.
Speed and power can be natural attributes, but patience is a virtue. It takes patience to look for the right pitch to drive out of the park. It also takes patience to time a pitcher’s delivery to the plate, knowing when to make that jump toward stealing the next base. Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. is exhibiting all three of these characteristics this season and is on pace to join this extremely limited group.
Ronald Acuna Jr.’s Quest for the 40/40 Club
Steals
Acuna has the “traditional” hard part out of the way by amassing 43 stolen bases in 92 games this year. Canseco, Bonds, and Soriano had hit their 40th home run before stealing the requisite final bag. Only Rodriguez had 40 steals before his 40th home run. However, none of them had 40 steals this early in the season. Acuna’s 43 stolen bases currently lead Major League Baseball this year.
Not the First Time Flirting with Membership
Interestingly enough, this is not the first season Acuna has flirted with a 40/40 season. In 2019, the Atlanta phenom finished the year with 41 home runs, a career-high, and 37 stolen bases. Acuna was three steals shy of reaching the exclusive mark. As he already possesses 43 steals, his home run tally comes into focus. Acuna’s career best of 41 home runs in 2019 can be used as a benchmark and applied to his current pace.
Right on Track?
Through 92 games this season, Acuna has 423 plate appearances, 23 home runs, and a 5.4% home run percentage (percentage of home runs hit per plate appearance). In 2019, Acuna had 416 plate appearances, 22 home runs, and a 5.3% home run percentage through 92 games. By the end of 2019, Acuna actually improved his home run percentage finishing with a 5.7%. If Acuna increases his home run percentage this year as he did in the second half of 2019, he will be right on track to become the fifth member of the 40/40 club. If he does not increase this metric, it will come down to how many remaining games Acuna plays in.
How Many Games Are Left?
In 2019, Acuna played in 156 games, a career-high. He averaged 4.583 plate appearances per game. Acuna has played in all 92 games for the Braves and averaged 4.598 plate appearances per game this season. If Acuna does not increase his home run percentage as he did in the second half of 2019, he may fall short this year. Currently, he would have to play in 69 of Atlanta’s 70 remaining games in order to hit 40 home runs, pending his average plate appearances per game and home run percentage holding constant.
Still Impressive
Whether or not Acuna becomes the fifth player to join the 40/40 club is yet to be determined. Even without this accomplishment, Acuna has displayed a rare combination of power, speed, and contact, putting him in a prime position for this year’s National League MVP. His overall statistics are eye-catching: a slash line of .333/.414/.593, 1.007 OPS, 23 home runs, 58 RBI, 43 stolen bases, 82 runs, and 25 doubles. If he is able to complete a 40/40 season, his overall performance could go down as one of the best individual single seasons in baseball history. After battling back from injury, achieving this extraordinary feat seems even more remarkable in such a short amount of time.
Main photo credits:
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Players mentioned:
Ronald Acuna Jr., Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano
