
2023 MLB predictions: From playoffs and World Series to MVPs and Cy Youngs
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adminIt’s opening week, and you know what that means — season predictions!
There are lots of questions going into the 2023 season: What does Year 2 of MLB’s expanded playoffs have to offer? How will rule changes play out over the season? Is this the year your favorite team will make a run in October, or your favorite player will win a postseason award?
No one can definitively know what’s in store for us this season, but that doesn’t stop us from making our best guesses. We put 28 ESPN writers, analysts and editors on the spot to predict what will happen in baseball this year, from the wild-card contenders all the way up to the World Series champion, plus the MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in both leagues.
For each category, we’ve asked a contributor or two to explain why they chose what they chose. Did they hit the nail on the head or were they way off their mark? Only time can tell — and you better believe we’ll be circling back to these predictions come October.
Let’s see what our experts had to say.
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AL picks | NL picks | WS picks | AL awards | NL awards
AL East
Our pick: New York Yankees (16 votes)
Who else got votes? Toronto Blue Jays (11), Tampa Bay Rays (1)
Why will the Yankees win the AL East?
The Yankees will win the AL East by a slim margin over the Blue Jays and Rays because their injured rotation will get healthy — and when they are, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Luis Severino and Nestor Cortes can match any foursome in the game. The Yankees needed a spark, a player that might make them a better offensive team in October. They might have found him in rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe, whose first live batting practice of spring training began with a home run over the batter’s eye off Rodon. The next pitch, Volpe homered over the left field fence. Talk about knocking the door down. — Tim Kurkjian
What is the Blue Jays’ path to winning the division?
The Blue Jays were plenty dangerous last season until facing the Mariners in October. They had the lineup and the aces to advance as the Phillies did. This season, the Jays will take the AL East over the Yankees and Rays. Rotation depth matters, as well as bullpen and lineup depth, and the Jays have it all. They needed offensive upgrades, notably from the left side, and added Brandon Belt and Daulton Varsho. Getting defensive stalwart Kevin Kiermaier was critical, too. Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi will bounce back. This is a complete team that can represent the AL. — Eric Karabell
AL Central
Our pick: Cleveland Guardians (15 votes)
Who else got votes? Chicago White Sox (7), Minnesota Twins (6)
Why will the White Sox beat out the Guardians for the division title?
If we choose to put stock in exit comments from Jose Abreu about not being a “family,” it helps frame why a team with this much talent can stall out. They have a potent and deep lineup that will be chomping at the bat rack. They also have some stellar arms in their rotation to balance it out. Their manager (Pedro Grifol) has been waiting an eternity for this opportunity, and he will hit the ground running, literally. They have more offensive firepower than Cleveland but they must catch the ball and keep the uber talented Eloy Jiménez from running into a fence. Please. — Doug Glanville
AL West
Our pick: Houston Astros (26 votes)
Who else got votes? Seattle Mariners (2)
Why did you pick the Mariners to win the AL West?
(1) The starting rotation is strong and deep, and they have Luis Castillo the entire season. (2) They upgraded at positions that were offensive black holes last season (Teoscar Hernandez, Kolten Wong). (3) The bullpen is good. (4) Jarred Kelenic is — gasp! — figuring things out. (5) Cal Raleigh is going to hit 35 home runs. (6) Julio Rodriguez is a super-duper star.
Look, the Astros are a powerhouse; Vegas has made them the betting favorite to win the World Series and become the first repeat champ since the 2000 Yankees. But Justin Verlander is a huge loss, Jose Altuve is out for a couple of months, lack of depth is a concern, there is some age in the lineup and, frankly, it’s time a few things just happen to go wrong. — David Schoenfield
AL wild cards
Our picks: Seattle Mariners (20 votes), Tampa Bay Rays (17), Toronto Blue Jays (16)
Who else got votes? New York Yankees (13), Los Angeles Angels (10), Texas Rangers (3), Houston Astros (2), Minnesota Twins (2), Chicago White Sox (1)
The Rays have made it to the postseason the last four years, and you and 16 other voters are predicting a fifth. To what do they owe their consistency to?
The Rays have become a player-development behemoth that majors in run prevention as well as practically any team in baseball. From 2018-22, there were three teams that allowed fewer than four runs per game — the Dodgers, Astros and Rays. And every year in that span, their minor-league system ranked in the top two in organizational winning percentage. Their regenerative success has enabled them to thrive at the big-league level, paying cents on the dollar in relation to many of their peers. — Paul Hembekides
You and nine other voters picked the Angels as a wild-card team. Why do you think they’ll make it?
This offseason, the Angels did what they long needed to do — they filled their 40-man roster with more major league-quality players, and thus, significantly increased their floor. A roster that for years was incredibly top-heavy with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani and very little beneath them is now a lot more well-rounded, particularly on the position-player side. Their rotation, meanwhile, was sneaky good last year and should be better with the addition of Tyler Anderson. This could be the year they finally break through. If they want to keep Ohtani, it probably has to be. — Alden Gonzalez
The Rangers received just three wild-card votes, and you were one of them. How do you think they’ll sneak into the playoffs?
The Rangers have made an all-in commitment, spending $500-plus million during the 2021-22 offseason and nearly $300 million on pitching this winter, while bringing in a three-time championship manager in Bruce Bochy. And, at least for now, their rebuilt rotation is healthy. If the team can maintain that good fortune in the injury department for long enough, I see them mounting a competitive enough start that they’d make aggressive, in-season moves to fill any prospective holes. There often seems to be a surprise wild-card team, and the Rangers are atop that list for me. — Tristan Cockcroft
AL champion
Our pick: Houston Astros (11 votes)
Who else got votes? New York Yankees (8), Toronto Blue Jays (6), Seattle Mariners (3)
Wait … you picked the Jays to win the AL East but the Yankees to win the AL. Explain yourself!
The Yankees are in a tough spot with their rotation, but that’s the question for the rest of their division rivals as well. If Rodon can pitch for most of the season, Cortes successfully stretches out as a starter and Severino can play his part, this rotation has the most potential in the division. Additionally, Volpe could be a game-changer for the offense. He affects the game on the base paths, in the field and at the plate. Over the last few years, shortstop has been a major weak point for the team, so just solidifying the spot with someone who could be anywhere from above average to an All-Star might change the dynamic of this offense dramatically. — Joon Lee
NL East
Our pick: Atlanta Braves (21 votes)
Who else got votes? New York Mets (6), Philadelphia Phillies (1)
Why did you pick the Braves to win the NL East?
Injuries are already playing a key role in what figured to be a high-powered, three-way chase in the division. The Mets of course lost Edwin Diaz, and Jose Quintana will miss a chunk of time. The Phillies began spring unsure of when Bryce Harper will be back and now have to add Ranger Suarez and Rhys Hoskins to that list, the latter a probable season-ending injury. Maybe the Braves join this unfortunate party if Raisel Iglesias‘ irritated shoulder turns into something serious, but for now, Atlanta seems like the team that has its key parts all lined up for the long haul. — Brad Doolittle
Why do you think the Mets will beat out the Braves?
The Mets, with their two aging aces, appear to be built more for the rigors of a seven-game series than a 162-game regular season. And that’s why it seems counterintuitive to pick them to win the NL East over the Braves, a younger team with better pitching depth and a deeper lineup. But here’s a hunch: Max Scherzer and Verlander, two of the most competitive pitchers of this era, will go back and forth all year trying to outdo each other, and they’ll take the Mets along for the ride. — Tim Keown
NL Central
Our pick: St. Louis Cardinals (25 votes)
Who else got votes? Milwaukee Brewers (3)
Why will the Brewers win the NL Central?
History tells us we rarely see the same teams make the playoffs, so I didn’t want to pick the same six in the NL as last season, and it’s hard to pick against the Braves, Mets, Dodgers, Padres or Phillies. Picking against the Cardinals isn’t rigorous analysis, but the projection systems see this as a close race: PECOTA has the Brewers, while FanGraphs sees the Cardinals as one win better. With Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and a healthy Freddy Peralta, the Brewers might have three starters better than anyone on the Cardinals. Milk in some regression from Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado and then note that the Brewers were second in the NL in home runs. — Schoenfield
NL West
Our pick: San Diego Padres (16 votes)
Who else got votes? Los Angeles Dodgers (12)
Why are the Padres the favorites to win the NL West over the Dodgers?
The Padres, for the first time in a long time, simply have more talent than the Dodgers, who punted on the most expensive free agents in order to create more opportunities for their younger players and then watched their young shortstop, Gavin Lux, suffer a season-ending knee injury. The Dodgers probably have more long-term sustainability — largely because they’ve been more pragmatic about the long-term deals and the win-now trades that have made their NL West rivals a juggernaut — but the Padres are better at the moment. They’re better offensively, better in their starting rotation and might be at least just as good in the bullpen. — Gonzalez
NL wild cards
Our picks: Philadelphia Phillies (22 votes), New York Mets (21), Los Angeles Dodgers (16)
Who else got votes? San Diego Padres (11), Atlanta Braves (7), Milwaukee Brewers (5), St. Louis Cardinals (1), San Francisco Giants (1)
Why do the Phillies find themselves as a wild-card favorite despite last year’s WS run?
Here’s a tortured prediction: By the end of the regular season, the Phillies will be the third-best team in the NL East; by the end of the postseason, they’ll be the second-best team in the National League, losing to the Padres in the NLCS. The logic, or illogic, is that the defending NL champs won’t be at their best until the second half of the season, after Harper returns to the lineup. The injuries to Harper and first baseman Hoskins have lowered expectations for the season’s first 162, but history shows a wild-card berth is not always a postseason hindrance. — Keown
You were the only one to vote for the Cardinals as a wild-card team. Why is that?
Because recency bias is real. In 2021, the Brewers won the NL Central by five games — and I’d argue that with a full year of Rowdy Tellez, William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Brice Turang and the soon-to-arrive Sal Frelick, they’re a much better offense. St. Louis has also amped up its offense, with Jordan Walker, Brendan Donovan and Nolan Gorman — so this is a bet on pitching, and really as much out of fear that the Cardinals’ staff is vulnerable as anything. I’ll just take Burnes, Woodruff and a healthy Peralta over what St. Louis offers. The NL Central should be a great race. — Jeff Passan
NL champion
Our pick: San Diego Padres (11 votes)
Who else got votes? Atlanta Braves (10), New York Mets (5), Los Angeles Dodgers (1), Philadelphia Phillies (1)
Why do you think the Padres will top the Braves as the NL champion?
We always go into each season wondering which teams will be aggressive at the trade deadline — as the Braves were in 2021, when general manager Alex Anthopoulos added a small army of outfielders — and it’s safe to say: The Padres are all in. Owner Peter Seidler will spend what is necessary to plug any hole that pops up on the San Diego roster, which is exactly the right thing to do, given their investments in older players. Few teams have big money available to add in July, but the Padres will be one of those. — Buster Olney
World Series champion
Our pick: San Diego Padres (7 votes), Atlanta Braves (7)
Who else got votes? New York Yankees (5), Houston Astros (4), New York Mets (2), Los Angeles Dodgers (1), Philadelphia Phillies (1), Toronto Blue Jays (1)
Our voters are tied between the Padres and Braves winning it all. Make the case for Atlanta.
The Braves simply have the best team. Last season, Michael Harris II debuted on May 28 and Spencer Strider made his first start on May 30. From June 1 on, Atlanta played at a 112-win pace and dispatched the Mets’ 10.5-game division lead in the process. Ronald Acuña Jr. is another year removed from knee surgery, the Braves have an embarrassment of riches behind the plate (Sean Murphy and Travis d’Arnaud), and Mike Soroka should make his long-awaited return. Add it all up, and — even without Dansby Swanson — this Braves team should be the favorite to win it all. — Hembekides
Make the case for San Diego.
The Padres are the most intriguing, most compelling and most combustible team in the major leagues. By late October, they might be the best team in the game. They have a terrific rotation, an elite closer, a great manager and potentially the best lineup in baseball. Their success likely will hinge on Fernando Tatis Jr. He’d rather play shortstop or center field, but if he can play right field effectively and be a dynamic leadoff guy, 1-5 looks like this: Tatis, Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth. Wow. — Kurkjian
You have the Yankees beating the Mets in a Subway World Series. Explain your reasoning.
It’s a juicy storyline for sure, but I also have both of those teams as favorites in October. The Yankees will have a youth infusion with Volpe and/or Oswald Peraza, while the Mets’ top four prospects will all play in the big leagues this year. That optionable depth with upside is key for filling unforeseen holes or making a key trade down the stretch. It also doesn’t hurt to have a big financial advantage. — Kiley McDaniel
Only four people picked the Astros to repeat. Why were they your vote?
We just released our first Power Rankings of the season and the No. 1 team was … the Astros. If our experts believe the Astros should start at the top, why can’t they also finish it there? Maybe we’ve just grown used to the idea that a team won’t repeat, but this one is still loaded. The lineup should be even better once Altuve returns, given the addition of Abreu. And sure, losing Verlander hurts — but it was the depth of the pitching staff that carried them through October, not any one pitcher at the top of it. — Dan Mullen
AL MVP
Our pick: Shohei Ohtani (25 votes)
Who else got votes? Yordan Alvarez (1), Julio Rodriguez (1), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1)
Why is Ohtani the overwhelming favorite to win the AL MVP?
Ohtani is the overwhelming favorite to win the MVP in any league and will be for the foreseeable future. For him, it’s gone way beyond the two-way novelty of his act. He’s not just a pitcher and a hitter, he’s an elite pitcher and an elite hitter. There are no words that do justice to this guy. He could have an average hitting year and still be an MVP candidate. He could have an average pitching year and be an MVP candidate. He might not win, but it’s hard to see how anyone else could be favored at the outset of a season. — Doolittle
You were the only pick for Alvarez to win AL MVP, while Ohtani had 25 votes. Why did you pick Alvarez over him?
Considering there’s been only one player in over a decade to win the MVP award after being named the preseason favorite, it’s not unthinkable to pick against Ohtani. Of course, that player was Trout, and he did it three times, so it’s certainly possible the obvious choice wins it. But Alvarez was neck-and-neck with Aaron Judge for the award last season before the latter player pulled away in the second half. The arc Alvarez has been on points to another monster season as long as he’s healthy. He’s done everything else in his young career. An MVP is the next step. — Jesse Rogers
AL Rookie of the Year
Our pick: Gunnar Henderson (11 votes), Masataka Yoshida (11)
Who else got votes? Anthony Volpe (6), Hunter Brown (1)
Henderson and Yoshida tied for 11 votes each for AL Rookie of the Year. Why did you go with Henderson?
Yoshida benefits in this voting from what we saw in the WBC — the bat-to-ball skills, the power — to the degree that we may all be wondering if he could constantly dent the Green Monster with that amazing swing. But I picked Henderson because of the athleticism he showed last season, and because of how well-rounded a player he is. Some rival executives wonder about Yoshida’s defense, and whether he’ll inevitably move to DH. There are no such questions about Henderson, who figures to have a high impact offensively and defensively. — Olney
Why do you think Volpe will win it?
Henderson was the favorite in most minds entering March, and I still think he’ll be a good rookie and very good player going forward. The buzz and hype around Volpe is palpable and I think his year will include important games late in the season as a tiebreaker with comparable rookies. While I think Henderson is a slightly better prospect long-term, Volpe’s frame and style of play lends itself slightly more to an immediate impact. — McDaniel
AL Cy Young
Our pick: Gerrit Cole (6 votes)
Who else got votes? Kevin Gausman (3), Shohei Ohtani (3), Jacob deGrom (3), Alek Manoah (3), Cristian Javier (3), Dylan Cease (2), Shane Bieber (2), Shane McClanahan (1), Framber Valdez (1), Michael King (1)
Why is Cole our voters’ pick to win?
It’s the raw stuff that Cole brings to the mound every time he starts. While he relies heavily on his fastball, he’s always been a smart pitcher who’s able to maximize his abilities due to his secondary stuff. He’ll have a chip on his shoulder after having a season that was below his standards in 2022 — and when he’s at his best, there are few pitchers who are scarier to face as a hitter. Plus as prognosticators, Cole represents a pretty safe bet at a time when the skill level of a starting pitcher can vary dramatically from season to season. He remains consistent in terms of his floor as a starter. — Lee
You picked Ohtani to win the AL MVP and Cy Young. Explain your reasoning as to why.
Ohtani is the best player in baseball, thriving as both a versatile offensive player and a dominant starting pitcher. He’s already earned one AL MVP award, and now it is time for him to take the top pitcher award, too. Frankly, he could have won it last season, as he compiled more pitcher bWAR than Verlander, led the AL in strikeouts per nine innings and was fourth in ERA. It is a wide-open AL Cy Young race with Verlander in the NL and as long as the voters are cool with Ohtani winning multiple awards, he will deserve it. — Karabell
Why do you think Javier will win the AL Cy Young?
Can I just say, “I heart Cristian Javier”? He made my fantasy value picks column for 2023, after his tough-to-decipher combo of high-spin fastball and darting slider that fueled a 2019 Double-A breakthrough contributed to a pair of combined Astros no-hitters last season. Javier has filthy stuff, and while the big question about his Cy Young candidacy ties to whether he’ll amass the innings required to seize writers’ votes, I think on a per-inning basis he’s as good as anyone in the league. I like a good long-shot pick, and he’s my guy. — Cockcroft
NL MVP
Our pick: Ronald Acuña Jr. (8 votes)
Who else got votes? Juan Soto (6), Trea Turner (5), Manny Machado (4), Freddie Freeman (2), Mookie Betts (1), Nolan Arenado (1), Matt Olson (1)
Why do you think Soto will beat out Acuña for NL MVP?
Certainly Acuña is a great all-around player, and if he goes 30/40 … or 40/40 … or 40/50 … I may well regret this choice. But his bat is not like Soto’s. No one’s is, really. Since Soto’s debut in 2018, he has been on base 1,130 times — more than anybody but Freddie Freeman. When Soto is locked in, he’s one of the best power hitters on the planet. The lack of pop with San Diego last year bothered him, and with something to prove and a phenomenal roster surrounding him, we’re primed to see the best of Soto this season. — Passan
You were the only vote for Betts. Explain why you chose him.
Since 2015, only Trout has more bWAR, and that’s just by a fraction. Since 2018, when Ohtani entered the majors, Betts has nearly 3.0 more bWAR than any other player. For me, Betts has reached that rarefied space where he is both appreciated for elite skills and all-around performance, but also a little overlooked because he’s as constant as the Northern Star. The NL MVP race has been fairly wide open in recent seasons, and I just don’t see any way that Betts doesn’t win another. Since he’s hitting his age-30 season, it probably will be sooner rather than later. Finally, there is a chance that his performance will stand out a little more on this version of the Dodgers, who might have to lean a little more on their stars this season. — Doolittle
NL Rookie of the Year
Our pick: Corbin Carroll (18 votes)
Who else got votes? Miguel Vargas (5), Jordan Walker (4), Kodai Senga (1)
Why do you think Corbin Carroll will win NL Rookie of the Year?
Because we’ve already seen him perform at the highest level, as evidenced by the .830 OPS he put up in 115 plate appearances last season. Carroll played most of the 2022 season at the age of 21. It acted as his first full season of professional baseball, and yet he surged through Double-A and Triple-A and seemed very much ready for the big leagues. Carroll can hit for average, slug, play elite defense and run with the best of them. He’s very polished for a player his age and should only get better, given that he has played in only 174 games as a pro. — Gonzalez
NL Cy Young
Our pick: Corbin Burnes (6 votes)
Who else got votes? Julio Urias (4), Spencer Strider (4), Sandy Alcantara (3), Max Fried (3), Justin Verlander (2), Max Scherzer (2), Joe Musgrove (1), Aaron Nola (1), Logan Webb (1)
There’s no clear favorite in the NL Cy Young race. Why is that?
The addition of Verlander to the NL added to a crowded field of Cy Young candidates led by the reigning 2022 winner, Alcantara. But the Marlins righty isn’t a sure thing to repeat. As elite teams have loaded up on starting pitchers, several have multiple arms that could take home the honor in 2023. — Rogers
Why do you think Alcantara will repeat as the NL Cy Young winner?
Seems like every time I called a Braves series, Braves manager Brian Snitker would mention how Alcantara is the best pitcher on Earth. He has electric stuff on the first pitch and psychic powers on the last pitch. He is a legendary Pokémon on the mound. Everything he throws is an optical illusion. Hard to dethrone the best pitcher on Earth unless of course, you recruit on Mars. Can someone turn one of those rovers into a scout? Even so, it would take 9 months to get him back to Earth anyway. Oh well. — Glanville
Why is Burnes our voters’ favorite to win?
Over the past three seasons, Burnes has a 2.62 ERA, a 33.4% strikeout rate and a .558 OPS allowed. Among qualified starters, those totals rank first (tied with Scherzer), first (ahead of Cole) and first again (46 points ahead of Scherzer). He wasn’t quite as dominant in 2022 as in his Cy Young campaign of 2021, but he did pitch 202 innings — a 35-inning increase — so he also showed he can handle a heavier workload. There are a lot of good candidates, but Burnes is the best starter in baseball entering the season. — Schoenfield
Why is your pick Strider?
Seeing as there’s no clear favorite, I went pure upside. Strider’s strikeout rate of 13.83 per nine was the highest ever for a starting pitcher with at least 100 innings. If you extrapolate Strider’s per-start innings average over 33 outings and he replicates the K rate, he’ll strike out 271 batters in 177 innings. Perhaps he’ll need to up the innings total slightly to stand alongside Alcantara, Burnes, Verlander and Scherzer, but Strider has taken care of the hard part — dominating hitters — already. — Passan
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Sports
From 40/70 to 40/30? Ronald Acuna Jr. says he’ll be more careful on the basepaths this season — but no one believes him
Published
5 hours agoon
March 14, 2025By
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Alden GonzalezMar 14, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
Close- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
NORTH PORT, Fla. — Ronald Acuña Jr. met with the Atlanta Braves’ medical staff on the afternoon of May 26 and burst into tears when he was told he had suffered a complete tear of the ACL in his left knee. But by the time his Venezuela-based trainer, Juan Aular, heard from him later that night, Acuña was composed. He had accepted his fate, taken comfort in knowing precisely what to expect and was convinced a better version of himself was waiting on the other side. “We’re gonna do this again,” Acuña told Aular, the man who guided him through the torn ACL on his right knee less than three years earlier. “We’re gonna win MVP again.”
Said Aular: “I got goosebumps.”
Acuña tore his ACL for the first time in 2021, so when Aular saw the clip of him crumbling to the ground last year in Pittsburgh, he worried that the thought of another arduous rehab might crush the player. That initial phone call provided encouragement. And as they began to train together again this winter, Aular noticed a vastly different Acuña from the last rehab. He was more mature, more focused, but he was also grappling with his identity like never before. Acuña initially declared he would no longer steal bases, and Aular spent the better part of 10 weeks convincing him he didn’t have to take it that far.
They worked on stabilization and changing direction, but also on shaping mindset. Changing his style of play was unnecessary, Aular repeatedly told Acuña. Toning down his level of intensity might actually be dangerous. He simply needed to pick his spots. The first ACL tear happened while Acuña sprinted toward the warning track and attempted to make a leaping catch near the fence. But the second was the result of unnecessarily forcing action, attempting to steal third base in the first inning of an early-season game, then hurting himself while changing direction and retreating to second.
“He needs to learn how to play to the situation in the game,” Aular said in Spanish. “That is what’s key for Ronald.”
Acuña, 27, has played seven seasons in the major leagues but has only been fully healthy for two of them. In the first, 2019, he hit 41 homers, stole 37 bases, posted an .883 OPS and finished fifth in National League MVP voting as a 21-year-old. In his second, 2023, he put together the first 40/70 season in major league history and was a unanimous choice for MVP.
Acuña emerged from that year looking like the best, most electrifying player in the sport — outside of Shohei Ohtani, perhaps — but there’s no telling what he’ll look like coming off a second major knee operation. Acuña believes the combination of good health and more seasoning will make for “an even better player than I was in 2023.” He’s also striving to be slightly different.
“I’d rather steal 30 and play the whole season as opposed to trying to steal 70, injuring myself and missing the whole year,” Acuña said in Spanish.
But striking the proper balance between aggression and control can often be difficult on players, and Acuña’s attempt seems especially delicate. What the Braves want most is to have him healthy, but they also know the best version of him plays with a hint of reckless abandon. They don’t want to lose Acuña, but they also don’t want him to lose himself.
They’re hoping time will help.
The Braves haven’t announced a return date for Acuña, but if all goes well, he is expected to rejoin their lineup at some point in May. By then, his rehab will have lasted about 12 months, two more than the last time. His return won’t come with any artificial restraints, either. He’ll play his customary position of right field when he starts, as opposed to getting rest days at designated hitter, and will maintain a green light on the bases. Any limits will be self-imposed.
“We’re gonna make sure when he’s back, he’s full go, and that he can be himself and play the game he plays,” Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “He’s very competitive, he’s a tremendous base-stealer, and we’re not gonna have any restrictions on him at all.”
Anthopoulos has heard talk about Acuña’s desire to be more cautious on the bases, though he hasn’t heard that from Acuña himself.
His response: “I’ll believe it when I see it.
“And I don’t mean that in a bad way,” Anthopoulos added. “He’s just such a good base-stealer. From a medical standpoint, if he’s cleared and he’s fine, I think he’ll find a sweet spot that makes sense for him. But we haven’t told him anything specifically. Once he’s back, the plan is that he’s back with no restrictions.”
Anthopoulos noticed Acuña being more “apprehensive and tentative” in the outfield when he returned from a nine-and-a-half-month rehab in 2022. There was fear of a repeat incident, but Acuña also hadn’t spent enough time strengthening his lower half. Intermittent off days were needed to combat continual discomfort. Acuña didn’t feel as if he had a strong enough base, and his numbers — a .764 OPS and 15 homers while being caught stealing an NL-worst 11 times in 119 games — showed it.
That shouldn’t be the case this time.
Said Aular: “He’s much stronger now.”
Acuña spent June, July, August and most of September navigating through the initial stages of his rehab at Elite OrthoSport, the Los Angeles-based training facility recommended by his surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Aular then trained Acuña in his hometown of La Sabana from the middle of November until the end of January. The Braves’ training staff sent a detailed plan, and the two followed it six days a week, in five-hour sessions, taking off only on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
By January, Acuña said he’d started to feel like himself again. Once spring training began, he dazzled teammates continually with prodigious home runs during batting practice. At times it seemed as if he never left.
“He just looks like himself,” Braves center fielder Michael Harris II said. “Still having fun, still being a goofball, still hitting balls over the scoreboard.”
Acuña is a naturally gifted runner, having starred as a 400-meter sprinter during his early teenage years. As he rose through the Braves’ system, he racked up 82 stolen bases in 265 minor league games. He followed with 196 steals in the majors from 2018 to 2024 — second-most in the sport despite missing 30% of the games in that stretch. Stealing bases has always been a major part of Acuña’s identity. Few seem convinced he will let up, even if just a little.
“I don’t think he’ll ever give it up,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson said with a laugh. “It’s the player he is. Yeah, you can choose when you run and stuff, but I bet once he gets back out there, he gets his legs under him, back into playing speed, he’s gonna be the same ol’ Ronald.”
The Braves had their string of six consecutive division titles snapped last season, winning 89 games and just barely sneaking into the playoffs. The New York Mets have since added Juan Soto, and the Philadelphia Phillies continue to be a force, but the Braves will be getting their two best players back: Spencer Strider, who succumbed to elbow surgery after only two starts last spring, should return to the top of the rotation before the end of April; Acuña will return to the top of the lineup shortly thereafter.
Acuña won’t play in any Grapefruit League games, but he has been taking at-bats against Braves pitchers to hone in on his timing. Soon, he’ll be cleared for cutting drills. A rehab assignment will soon follow. The reality of playing actual baseball games again has noticeably lifted his spirits.
“You appreciate things more when you have something like that happen,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “You realize how blessed you are to have this opportunity to play this game.”
Asked what he learned having gone through this process before, Acuña said, “Patience. Not getting too anxious.”
He hopes he’ll be better for it.
“I know the type of player I can be,” Acuña said. “I still don’t feel like I’ve gotten to, like, my prime-prime. The most important thing is health.”
Sports
Flames’ Zary gets 2 games for elbowing Pettersson
Published
13 hours agoon
March 14, 2025By
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Associated Press
Mar 13, 2025, 06:50 PM ET
NEW YORK — Calgary forward Connor Zary was suspended two games without pay Thursday for elbowing Vancouver defenseman Elias Pettersson during the Canucks’ 4-3 shootout victory over the Flames.
Zary, 23, was assessed a minor penalty for interference on the play at 11:19 of the first period Wednesday night. The suspension will cost him $8,993 in salary.
After Pettersson knocked Calgary center Nazem Kadri off his skates just as Kadri unloaded the puck and crossed the blue line, Zary retaliated with a blindside hit that led to the penalty.
Pettersson had the tying goal with 6:44 remaining in regulation and scored in the first round of the shootout. Conor Garland added the winner in the fourth round of the shootout.
Sports
Devils’ Hamilton out for regular season, GM says
Published
13 hours agoon
March 14, 2025By
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Field Level Media
Mar 13, 2025, 12:07 PM ET
New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton will miss the remainder of the regular season and “possibly” the playoffs due to a lower-body injury, general manager Tom Fitzgerald said.
When pressed if Hamilton could return if the Devils reach the second round of the postseason, Fitzgerald wasn’t too optimistic on Wednesday.
“We’re not planning on it, how’s that?” Fitzgerald said during an appearance on the “Krackin’ Canuckleheads” podcast.
Hamilton has been sidelined since he was tangled up with Stars forward Mason Marchment in the first period of a 4-3 loss to Dallas on March 4.
Hamilton, 31, has 40 points (nine goals, 31 assists) in 63 games this season. He is competing in the fourth campaign of his seven-year, $63 million contract.
Hamilton has totaled 501 points (151 goals, 350 assists) in 834 career games with the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes and Devils.
Hamilton was selected by the Bruins with the ninth overall pick of the 2011 NHL draft.
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