Ronald Acuña Jr. is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder who plays for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB).
He was born on December 18, 1997, in La Guaira, Venezuela. Acuña signed with the Braves as an international free agent in 2014 and made his MLB debut in 2018.
Acuña Jr. won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in his debut season and was named an MLB All-Star the following year.
He is a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner and was the NL stolen base leader in 2019.
As of June 2023, Acuña Jr. has a batting average of .285, 140 home runs, 349 runs batted in, and 143 stolen bases.
Ronald Acuña Jr. salary
Acuña Jr. signed an 8-year contract extension with the Braves in 2019, which is worth $100 million.
The contract includes $100 million guaranteed and two team-option years beyond that for $17 million each.
Acuña Jr.’s salary for the year 2023 is $17 million.
His contract pays him an average annual salary of $8 million over the next eight years.
Before signing the contract extension, Acuña Jr.’s salary for 2019 was $560,000.
Ronald Acuña Jr. career
Acuña Jr. was born on December 18, 1997, and made his MLB debut in 2018.
In his debut year, he was named the National League Rookie of the Year.
The following year, Acuña Jr. earned the Silver Slugger Award, led the N.L. in stolen bases, and was selected as an MLB All-Star.
He agreed to an eight-year, $100 million deal with the Braves in 2019.
Acuña Jr. is known for his electrifying play on the field.
He has hit 150 home runs and stolen 150 bases before the age of 26, making him only the second player in MLB history to achieve this feat.
In addition to Acuña Jr.’s impressive home run and stolen base numbers, he has 83 RBI, 30 home runs, and 62 steals in the 2023 season.
His baseball career started in the minors, where he hit 21 home runs and stole 44 bases as a 19-year-old across three levels of the minors, vaulting himself to the top of prospect lists and squarely into Atlanta’s long-term outfield plans.
Acuña Jr. made his way to the big leagues and quickly became a star player for the Braves.
His accomplishments on the field have earned him recognition and accolades.
Acuña Jr. has been selected to two All-Star Games and has set franchise records for the Braves, including hitting eight leadoff home runs in a single season.
Ronald Acuña Jr. just became the FIRST EVER player with 30 homers and 60 stolen bases in a single season‼️ pic.twitter.com/rmHE6FGjng
— ESPN (@espn) September 1, 2023