Rosenthal speculated that it was Acuna before this Yankee game started, he was bang on.
2. Luisangel Acuna
SS
Ht: 5'8" | Wt: 181 | B-T: R-R
Age: 21
BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
Track Record: Acuna is the younger brother of Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. and signed out of Venezuela in 2018. He had a breakout season in 2021 at Low-A, where he was the ninth-ranked prospect in the Carolina League. Acuna’s chance at an encore was cut short almost immediately when he strained his hamstring in his first at-bat of the season when he stepped on first base awkwardly while trying to leg out an infield hit. He recovered to overwhelm High-A before hitting a speed bump in Double-A. He made up for the early lost at-bats by playing in the Arizona Fall League.
Scouting Report: Acuna’s offensive impact will depend on whether he can tone down his aggression. He doesn’t swing and miss at an alarming rate, but he swings roughly 46% of the time and hits the ball on the ground at a rate higher than 50%. The Rangers expected Acuna to struggle once he got to Double-A and promoted him to the Texas League to let him find the holes in his game against more experienced pitchers. Acuna makes plenty of impact on contact, with a lot of high-end exit velocities hit at optimal angles. Defensively, there’s little chance Acuna sticks at shortstop because of fringy arm strength and an internal clock that doesn’t befit the position. He’d be fine at second base, though, and could be an intriguing option in center field given the Rangers’ current logjam in the middle infield from the majors down to the lower levels of the minors. Acuna is an above-average runner, which helped him steal 40 bases in 49 tries.
The Future: Acuna will return to Double-A in 2023, when he’ll attempt to refine his approach and improve his batted ball profile. The Rangers added him to their 40-man roster after the season.
Scouting Grades: Hitting: 40. Power: 55. Speed: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 40