Ronald Acuña Jr.’s power outage robbed fans of perfect HR Derby rivalry

Atlanta Braves MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. opted not to participate in the Home Run Derby, much to the dismay of fans around the world. 

You could probably convince a fair amount of people that Ronald Acuña Jr. is the best offensive player in the world right now. The Atlanta Braves slugger/fielder/runner extraordinaire is lapping the field in the NL MVP race and he will start in Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game.

But, a lot of fans hoped Acuña’s All-Star weekend would amount to more than just the big game. He was a prime candidate for the Home Run Derby until he made a surprising but definitive decision: no, I’m not doing that.

Acuña competed in the derby in 2019 and 2022, smacking 34 and 19 home runs, respectively. When asked his reason for not participating in 2023, in the middle of his best individual season to date, the Braves’ right fielder gave a simple answer: “I think there’s other players out there that deserve to be a part of it and be showcased in it.”

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. robs MLB fans of epic HR Derby rivalry

The Braves’ dynamo made an understandable decision to take the year off and let other players get shine in the derby’s unique spotlight. That doesn’t mean the more imaginative members of the MLB fandom can’t pour one out for what could have been.

Had Acuña decided to lend his bat to the 2023 derby in Seattle, fans would have been treated to the perfect NL East rivalry: Braves vs. Mets, Ronald Acuña Jr. vs. Pete Alonso. While Atlanta is currently running roughshod over New York in the standings, Alonso is on the shortlist of players who can compare to Acuña at the plate.

Alonso won the derby in 2021 with an explosive 74-homer performance (including a league-record 35 home runs in the first round). That was the year Acuña missed to a torn ACL, but the Braves’ right fielder is back and better than ever. It’s tantalizing to think just how close we got to seeing these two duel head-to-head at the plate.

For the season, Acuña is batting .331 with 21 home runs and 55 RBIs. Alonso is batting .211 with 26 home runs and 61 RBIs. While Acuña is very clearly the better all-around player (and hitter), it would’ve been fascinating to see if he could match the raw power of Alonso’s bat in a glorified BP setting.

Alonso will be many folks’ favorite entering Monday night’s competition due to his impressive track record at the HR Derby. He will, however, face stiff competition in the form of No. 1 seed Luis Robert Jr., as well as names like Mookie Betts, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Mariners home-town hero  Julio Rodriguez.