For years, MLB scouts and fans have been fascinated with power and speed.
They are seen as the two elements that could influence a game the most from an offensive standpoint.
Speed is useful for stolen bases, to get that extra base, and to increase the chances of scoring.
Power, of course, means runs, and runs equal money.
Players who have speed and power are universally praised and recognized.
That’s why what Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. is doing in the 2023 campaign is so impressive.
Not only does he already have 62 (!) combined home runs and stolen bases at the halfway point of the season, but he has established a power-speed record, too.
“Today marks the 13th consecutive game that Ronald Acuña Jr. of the @Braves has either hit a home run or stolen a base. That’s the longest streak by any MLB player in the modern era, surpassing the 12 straight by Oakland’s Bert Campaneris in 1969 (entirely on stolen bases),” OptaSTATS tweeted.
Today marks the 13th consecutive game that Ronald Acuña Jr. of the @Braves has either hit a home run or stolen a base.
That's the longest streak by any MLB player in the modern era, surpassing the 12 straight by Oakland's Bert Campaneris in 1969 (entirely on stolen bases). pic.twitter.com/Rc56LaNTak
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 5, 2023
The record Acuna just eclipsed belonged to Bert Campaneris, who did it exclusively with stolen bases for 12 consecutive games.
Acuna has combined home runs and thefts, though, which makes it even more impressive.
Speedsters usually don’t have Acuna’s power; and power hitters rarely have above-average speed.
Acuna has the best of both worlds, with 21 homers and 41 stolen bases so far.
The most amazing thing of all is that he hasn’t sacrificed even a bit of batting average in the process: he is slashing an incredible .337/.415/.598.
Acuna is on his way to his first MVP award.
NEXT: The Braves Have Set Powerful MLB History
