Fresh off his first MVP, which was of the unanimous variety, Ronald Acuna Jr. is doing what anyone would do — playing in the winter league of his home country.
Of course, that is a bit sarcastic. Acuna is unlike any superstar in any sport. He is truly in it for the love of the game. After each season, he goes home to Venezuela to continue doing what he loves.
Some take issue with it because of the risk of an injury, which is fair. Acuna is the Braves’ best player, and he’s suffered a handful of injuries during his career. Last night, Braves Country’s worst fears were almost realized.
Ronald Acuna was hit by a pitch in the wrist and hand area, stopping a lot of hearts in Atlanta.
The hand/wrist area is the worst place to be hit by a pitch. There are countless examples of substantial injuries from this kind of play that force players to miss several weeks if not months. Hopefully, Acuna was able to avoid anything serious, but anytime this happens questions will arise from fans about whether or not a player of Acuna’s caliber should even be playing and risking injury by participating in Winter League.
The Braves could probably put their foot down and force Acuna to take some time off, but I don’t think that’s a wise course of action or the right thing to do. It’s not like he’s out there causing problems or doing wheelies on a motorcycle. He’s doing what he does best and better than everyone else. It’s what makes Ronald Acuna Jr., Ronald Acuna Jr. Taking that away from him would be ridiculous, and I’m sure it wouldn’t go over well with Acuna, who the Braves should be doing everything in their power to keep happy.
Injuries can happen at any moment. Michael Soroka re-tore his Achilles by walking to the stadium. Teams can’t wrap their players up in bubble wrap until Opening Day. If Ronald Acuna Jr. wants to play baseball during the offseason, the Braves should have no problem letting him.
More must-reads: