Is there anything Ronald Acuña Jr. can’t do on a baseball field?
Two days after showcasing his power by launching a 456-foot home run in an Atlanta Braves win (to go with the one he hit 495-feet last year), the 23-year-old showcased his blazing speed on Sunday during what everyone else assumed would be a routine groundout in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Acuña slapped a groundball directly towards Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorious who then fired the ball over to first base for the easy out. Except…that out wasn’t so easy after all as Acuña got to the bag first, seemingly with time to spare…
As noted by MLB Stats, Acuña’s speed was measured at 31 feet per second. For some perspective, the average Major League Baseball player runs at around 27-feet per second, and the speed that is considered “elite” is 30 feet per second. In other words, he ran very, very, very fast.
But just to drive home how impressive this was, we also need to consider that Gregorious didn’t exactly half-ass that throw either. In fact, it was one of the hardest throws he’s made in years.
So let it be known, that you officially have no reason to take it easy when Ronald Acuña is at-bat against your team. The number of ways he can get on base or score runs is apparently unending and there may not be anything you can do to stop him.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.