Acuña vs Arraez: April in Review

On Wednesday May 3, Ronald Acuña Jr. was officially named the April Player of the Month. However, Luis Arraez made himself a good case for Player of the Month with a historical April.

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Ronald Acuña Jr. had a sensational April. Acuña finished the month with 102 total at-bats, and 36 of those ABs resulted in a hit. Four of his 36 hits were homers, and nine of the 36 were doubles.

I can’t forget that Acuña’s speed and plate discipline were also great. Ronald walked 16 times in the 26 games and stole 12 bags. At this rate, I wouldn’t be shocked if Ronald has a 40/40 season in 2023.

The main takeaway from Ronald Acuña’s April is that he is officially back to normal. 2022 was below average for his standards because he came off a torn ACL, but he seems to be back to superstar form. He is definitely a good choice for an NL MVP prediction.

Photo by Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins/Getty Images

On the flip side, Luis Arraez had a historical month of April. Arraez’s batting average in April was .439, which is a franchise record. The previous club mark for the highest batting average in April was Dee Strange-Gordon’s .409 average in April 2015. His OBP was an incredible .500! Arraez was intentionally walked three times in April, more than the whole Marlins team in 2022, as they combined for just two intentional walks.

I think the main reason why Arraez fell short of the award is that he lacked extra-base hits. In comparison, Acuña had double-digit extra-base hits, while Arraez only had six. Coincidentally, Luis’s only homer and triple this season came in the same game when he hit for the cycle in Philly.

In conclusion, Arraez and Acuña were nearly equally as great in April, but Acuña’s extra-base hit and stolen base totals put him over the top. It will be interesting to see if Arraez can win the award in the remaining months of the season and if Acuña can repeat.

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