Outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves became the fifth player in Major League Baseball history to hit at least 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season on Friday. He achieved this feat by hitting his 40th home run against the Nationals to lead off the game. According to CBS Sports HQ’s research team, he also became the first player in American/National League history to hit at least 40 home runs and steal 60 bases.
Acuña, 25, had a batting average of .335/.414/.592 (167 OPS+) with 39 home runs, 100 RBI, and 68 stolen bases (on 81 attempts) before Friday’s game. According to Baseball Reference, his contributions have been valued at 7.8 Wins Above Replacement.
Acuña joins Alfonso Soriano (2006), Alex Rodriguez (1998), Barry Bonds (1996), and Jose Canseco (1988) as the only players to achieve a 40/40 season. Acuña came close to achieving this milestone in 2019 when he hit 41 home runs and stole 37 bases.
It remains to be seen how Acuña’s achievements will be valued in the upcoming voting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award. He is considered one of the top contenders for the award, but faces competition from Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, who is also nearing his 40th home run of the season. Of the previous four 40-40 seasons, only Canseco’s resulted in an MVP award. Bonds finished fifth, Soriano finished sixth, and Rodriguez finished ninth in the voting, suggesting that Acuña is not guaranteed to win the award.
