3 Braves players who’ll be better in 2023, and 2 who won’t

By Tim Boyle | Feb 9, 2023

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 12: Eddie Rosario #8 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after getting out against the Philadelphia Phillies during the sixth inning in game two of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 12, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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Ronald Acuna will rejoin the MVP race in 2023. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) /

Why Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. will be better in 2023

Ronald Acuna Jr. was the young stud Braves outfielder everyone was talking about before Harris won the hearts and accolades of fans and pundits. A former Rookie of the Year winner himself, Acuna has put together a fantastic start to his career. Unfortunately, he did get hurt mid-way through the 2021 campaign and missed significant time in 2022.

With these injuries hopefully in the past, Acuna will look to improve upon what he did in 2022. It wasn’t a bad season. However, each of his slash line numbers went down. He hit fewer home runs and had less RBI than the previous year despite having significantly more opportunities.

Who is the real Ronald Acuna Jr.? It’s probably not the version we saw in 2022.

Already about to enter his sixth MLB season, Acuna will hopefully stay on the field. Injuries and a pandemic-shortened season have given him only a single year of playing in 120 games or more. The Braves have yet to fully benefit from having him on the field. He didn’t even get to participate in their recent World Series.

Look for Acuna to put together another one of those monster seasons we know he is capable of doing. He is averaging 38 home runs, 93 RBI, and 124 runs scored per 162 games already. Expect at least one of those numbers to go up.

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