Two Acunas are rostered on MLB postseason squads. One will make his playoff debut in Milwaukee with the Mets, and the other's team, the Braves, will head to San Diego.
The former made his first major league plate appearance just two weeks ago. The latter's 2024 season ended on May 26, when what was initially pegged as knee soreness revealed itself to be a complete tear in his left ACL.
Though only one will be taking the field in October, both will be cheering for a team other than their own.
Here's everything to know about the relationship between Luisangel and Ronald Acuna, including breaking down the Mets rookie's connection to the Braves star.
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Is Luisangel Acuna related to Ronald Acuna?
Luisangel and Ronald are brothers, both hailing from Venezuela. Ronald signed with Atlanta as an international free agent in 2014 and debuted in the Majors in 2018, eventually winning National League Rookie of the Year.
Since then, he's made four All-Star appearances, won three Silver Slugger Awards, and earned a key to the 40-40 club in 2023, which includes legends Jose Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998), Alfonso Soriano (2006), and Shohei Ohtani (2024).
Unfortunately, after a historic season last year where he was named NL MVP and became the first player ever to tally 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases, Acuna tore his left ACL just three years after tearing his right ACL, which caused him to miss the second half of the 2021 season.
Joining him in the big leagues this year is Luisangel. He initially agreed in principle to sign with the Braves in 2017, but the deal was voided due to Atlanta's international signing scandal. In July 2018, though, he signed with the Rangers and made his professional debut for the DSL Rangers of the rookie-level Dominican Summer League.
He continued to play in the Minors, and Texas eventually traded him to the Mets nearly five years to the day after when he was signed by the Rangers. Luisangel began the 2024 season with Triple-A Syracuse, and New York promoted him to the Mets on Sept. 14, two weeks before the postseason with the team in the wild-card hunt.
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Luisangel Acuna and Ronald Acuna 2024 stats
Neither Acuna brother played a full regular season in 2024. However, they appeared in enough contests to fill a stat sheet.
Here's how Luisangel and Ronald fared ahead of the postseason.
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Stat | Luisangel Acuna | Ronald Acuna |
G | 14 | 49 |
AB | 39 | 192 |
R | 6 | 38 |
H | 12 | 48 |
HR | 3 | 4 |
RBI | 6 | 15 |
BB | 1 | 27 |
SO | 6 | 53 |
SB | 0 | 16 |
AVG | .308 | .250 |
OBP | .325 | .351 |
SLG | .641 | .365 |
OPS | .966 | .716 |