Ronald Acuña had shocking take about his brother, possible future Mets star

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. has high expectations for his younger brother and New York Mets prospect Luisangel Acuña. 

The New York Mets acquired star prospect Luisangel Acuña from the Texas Rangers in exchange for top ace Max Scherzer at the trade deadline. As you may have surmised, New York’s Acuña is the younger brother of Atlanta Braves superstar and MVP favorite Ronald Acuña Jr.

New York has hinted at Luisangel Acuña joining the MLB squad as soon as next season, but his older brother doesn’t want to wait that long. “If it was up to me, he would already be up here,” Acuña told the New York Daily News through a translator.

Acuña then set expectations very high for the Mets’ new prospect, who is currently playing with Double-A Binghamton. “I think we’re going to have a great rivalry because there are so many parts of our game that are similar. Watching him play feels sort of like watching myself play, to be honest.”

Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. can’t wait for rivalry with brother Luisangel Acuña and New York Mets

This will certainly get New York fans hyped. The Mets faithful need a serotonin boost after the past week, during which the Braves beat them three out of four times, including two shutouts and a gobsmacking 21-3 defeat. New York has essentially admitted failure for the 2023 season, but that doesn’t make a three-touchdown loss any more palatable.

If anything, the Mets’ lineup could probably use the younger Acuña’s bat sooner than later. There’s not much to lose at this point. Acuña is a talented infielder who can defend either side of second base. He has even earned comparisons to another Braves All-Star, Ozzie Albies.

The Braves-Mets rivalry has been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons (unless you’re a Braves fan). The Mets will hope Luisangel Acuña can one day help swing things back in New York’s favor. It’s a storybook setup: Luisangel is 21 years old, Ronald is 25 years old. Both have another decade-plus of quality baseball left in the tank. There’s a nonzero chance the Acuña rivalry becomes a defining feature of the MLB for the foreseeable future, which could inject even more excitement into a bitter feud between two unfriendly fanbases.

Luisangel Acuña is a talented hitter with .299/.363/.425 splits, seven homers, and 52 RBIs in 405 Minor League at-bats this season. His numbers have dipped considerably since the trade, but one has to believe it’s only a temporary blip on the radar for an otherwise promising player. As the Mets refocus on the future, New York will hope Luisangel can live up to his last name.