The New York Mets promoted 22-year-old infielder prospect Luisangel Acuña. The brother of Atlanta Braves all-star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., to their active roster Sept. 14.
How Does Luisangel Acuña’s Promotion Benefit The Mets For Their Playoff Run?
The move comes as the Mets are in a tight wild card race, tied with the Braves for the final seed and only one game back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second wild card seed as of Sept. 15. Luisangel already has made his introduction, knocking his first Major League hit up the middle of the field during the fourth inning on a 2-0 pitch from Phillies starter Taijuan Walker.
That ball had eyes 👀
Luisangel Acuña sends a bouncer back up the middle that finds the grass for his first big league knock in his debut with the @Mets. pic.twitter.com/X9YOLXQtiA
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 14, 2024
The wild card race will likely come down to a three-game series between the Braves and Mets, taking place between Sept. 24 to the 26. With this in mind, the question for the recent promotion becomes, “What does Luisangel Acuña bring for the Mets?”
Background
Luisangel Acuña is the Mets’ 12th top overall-ranked prospect, first signed by the Texas Rangers in 2018. According to SNY, the Braves initially sought to sign the infield prospect when he turned 16. However, the organization became embroiled in a 2017 scandal revolving around international signing rules that saw sanctions on their bargaining power, ESPN reported at the time. Major League Baseball also released 13 international prospects from the team and banned former General Manager John Coppolella for life.
The Mets received him in a trade last year that sent aging veteran Max Scherzer to the Rangers during the latter’s World Series run.
As per MLB Pipeline, the infielder prospect stands at 5’8″while weighing 181 pounds. his height alone automatically makes him one of the top 15 smallest active baseball players in the league, according to USAToday. His position, along with his height, easily compares to Houston Astros’ second baseman Jose Altuve. What about his batting?
Batting
When looking at Luisangel’s stat lines, one thing that sticks out immediately is his low OPS percentage. Since being signed, Luisangel has only hit above .800 OPS once, that being his first year in 2019 with the Rangers organization. During that year in the Dominican Summer League, he hit .342/.438/.893, all career bests.
Throughout the years, Luisangel has stayed the same but hasn’t dramatically improved. Year-over-year, his slash lines average around .267/.338/.730, about average for the most part when compared to Baseball Reference stats, save the batting average. However, Luisangel’s offense is consistent and reliable based on these stats.
One thing of note about his production is his ability to hit for contact. Throughout his minor league career, Luisangel has never had a full season with more strikeouts than hits. When adding his overall hits and strikeouts, Luisangel’s hits-strikeout ratio is 1.31:1, much higher than the average 1:1. He also has a slightly above-average eye, with a strikeout-walk ratio of 1.99:1, far better than the league average of 2.76:1.
His production, however, does suffer in the sense that he does not have a good gap or raw power. Only 25% of his hits are extra-base, with only a third of those being home runs. That’s well below the 35% extra-base hits average for the major leagues. However, he can knock runners in, consistently batting in 60 or more runs in his healthiest, full seasons.
Currently, MLB Pipeline grades Luisangel’s hit and power at 50 and 45, respectively. Given his lack of raw and gap power, 45 is an appropriate score for power. For hitting, the grade might be inching closer to 55.
If Luisangel replaces the currently injured Jeff McNeil at second base, the production floor at the position will increase greatly if Luisangel plays consistently. With McNeil, he produces a .238/.308/.692 slash-line over 129 games, all below Luisangel’s averages. Expect a small bump in the team’s batting average and OBP, but don’t expect much in the slugging department.
Fielding
Acuna can play three positions being second base, outfield, and shortstop. There are things to note for all three positions.
When playing shortstop, his numbers increased over time. From a .889 and .957 fielding average in his first two seasons at the position, He boasts a .976 and .962 at AA and AAA in 2023 and 2024, respectively. His number of errors has dropped slightly, from 30 in his first three professional seasons to 18 in his last two seasons.
When at second base, his chances dropped, but he seems to be a bit more comfortable at the position. His fielding percentage at the position seems to be stable, around .965 to .970, which is around average. He also never committed more than five errors at the position per year, but in part due to lower chances.
Recently, Luisangel has played 31 games at center field for AAA Syracuse, tallying four outfield assists during that time. In 79 chances, he committed two errors, but has displayed some power and accuracy with his arm:
A fielding grade of 60 for Luisangel might be justified given his versatility in center field and the middle infield. However, there’s nothing too exciting to solidify the ranking. A grade of 55, based on versatility alone, is probably better.
Filling in for McNeil at second, there wouldn’t be much difference from a standardized viewpoint. It might be a little worse at the position, but that’s not saying a whole lot. Also, don’t expect Luisangel to take 2-time gold glover Francisco Lindor’s role at shortstop, unless he goes down with an injury.
As for center field, he might replace Harrison Bader if he chooses to go somewhere else in 2025. That said, if he does stay, he’s too much of a defensive asset to move from centerfield. Expect Luisangel to again occupy second, moving McNeil to the bench or into a designated hitter role if J.D. Martinez also walks.
Baserunning
Baserunning is his biggest asset and something the Mets will need for their playoff push. Also, one look at Acuna stat-line shows that he is already major league-ready but has the potential to go higher.
In his five years in the minors, he has an almost 80% steal success rate. That’s 198 stolen bases while being caught 50 times. While this is only slightly higher than the MLB average of 74% success, Luisangel’s ceiling is higher than this.
In 2023, Acuna swiped 57 bases while being caught 10 times, good for a nearly 83% success rate. Remember, this number was before the 18-inch bags were used at the level. While Luisangel’s numbers did not improve and slightly regressed this year, one can argue that this is due in part to the major injury to Mets No. 6 prospect Ronny Mauricio. The Mets could not afford to lose a second infield prospect in the same year, so it’s possible Luisangel needed to tone it down for his health.
When we look at the Mets’ overall statistics, no single player has over 30 stolen bases this year. The team ranks 10th in the National League in stolen bases, and the team leader in steals is Lindor, who is pushing 30 both in age and steals.
His youth and ability to get on base and steal make him a prime candidate to start in the fifth slot in the order. He has the potential to be a lead-off candidate. However, if Mauricio is still injured or cannot return to form, maybe Luisangel could be a sleeper candidate for the slot.
Conclusion: How does Luisangel Fit In With The Mets?
One thing before Mets fans can celebrate is that Acuna did not have a great season at Triple-A Syracuse. While he did hit a .258 batting average, he grounded into 12 double plays this year and had a .355 slugging average on a .299 OBP, both career lows. It could be argued that he might not be ready for a deeper level of baseball.
However, it shouldn’t underscore that he has the potential and skillset to help in the Mets’ playoff push. The Mets need two things on the offensive side of the ball: players who get on base and can steal bases. Luisangel can do both of those while showcasing a high floor.
Luisangel Acuña’s welcome statement to the big leagues was palpable. Two hits in your debut doesn’t happen by accident.
Many worried his addition would subtract from chemistry during a playoff race, but I beg to differ — his spark could be the difference.pic.twitter.com/45OQ2A0jSD
— Dan Bartels (@DanBartels2) September 15, 2024
Expect Acuna to replace Jeff McNeil for the rest of this season, perhaps into the playoffs if he can show off his skills in a short timeframe. However, it’s much more likely we see him go back to Triple-A at the start of 2025 to get more accustomed to high-level ball.
In summary, don’t be surprised if Acuna has issues for the rest of the year adjusting to big-league pitching. He is still young and, frankly, inexperienced at a high level. However, don’t let potential struggles this year dissuade you from his upside. He could very well be a pivotal player if he pans out. Patience is key here, but starting off his career strong would be a big morale-booster for him and Mets fans.
Main Photo Credits: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
