Ronald Acuña Jr. of the host Atlanta Braves was announced Wednesday as the first of the eight hitters to compete in the All-Star Home Run Derby at Atlanta’s Truist Park on July 14. Acuña, who homered on the first pitch of his May 23 return to the Braves following a torn left ACL, will be in the derby for the third time.
“I’m just happy to announce that I’ll be participating in this year’s Home Run Derby, and I’m even more excited to be doing it at home in Atlanta in front of our fans,” Acuña told ESPN through an interpreter. “They’re a big reason I’m doing this. I’m Ronald Acuna Jr. because of their support. I’m just excited to go back and home and do this for them.”
He lost to the New York Mets‘ Pete Alonso 20-19 in the semifinals in 2019 after opening with a 25-18 victory over Josh Bell of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He lost to Alonso again in 2022, falling 20-19 in the first round at Dodger Stadium.
Acuña has been one of the league’s best hitters since he made his season debut in May. He’s hitting .385 with nine home runs, 16 RBIs and a 1.188 OPS in 29 games this season entering Wednesday. His batting average and home run total are the second-best in baseball since May 23, while his on-base percentage (.496) is the best over that stretch.
As Acuña will seek to continue his hot start to the season entering the All-Star break, he’ll also look to become the first player in Braves history to win the Home Run Derby.
“I feel like the expectation and the goal is always to win, no matter what,” Acuña said. “But more than anything, I’m just excited to do it in front of our fans and put on a good show for them.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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