Luisangel Acuna

Acuna was pretty clearly blocked long term in Texas, so a trade was welcomed, but things are still somewhat crowded long term in New York, where he was sent at the deadline for Max Scherzer straight up. One of Ronald Acuna's younger brothers, Luisangel is a 5-foot-8 middle infielder whose game is closer to that of Tommy Edman's than his big brother. His bloodlines are most evident in his bat speed and athleticism, but he needs all of that bat speed to generate his potential 10-15 homer power. He swiped 57 bases on 67 attempts in 121 games at Double-A, and that speed will be the ticket to his long-term fantasy relevance. Acuna was much better (.315/.377/.453, .138 ISO) before the trade than he was after it (.243/.317/.304, .061 ISO), but a lot of that difference can be attributed to a 93-point BABIP dip (.381 to .288) and him moving from the neutral park in Frisco to one of the worst Double-A parks for power in Binghamton. Acuna, who is on the 40-man roster, could be competing long term with Ronny Mauricio and Jett Williams for playing time, although Mauricio's knee surgery and Williams' inexperience make Acuna the best bet for 2024.

Acuna was quite fortunate (.416 BABIP, 58.6 GB%) in 54 games at High-A and unlucky (.274 BABIP) in 37 games at Double-A while improving the quality of his contact (48.6 GB%) and cutting his strikeout rate from 25% to 21.3%. His .278/.367/.425 season line is an accurate representation of how he performed on the whole, and it was enough to punch his ticket to the 40-man roster this offseason as Rule 5 draft protection. Acuna packs a punch in a small package and is shorter and probably lighter than his listed 5-foot-10, 181 pounds. That's not to say he will approach big brother Ronald's power output, but Luisangel isn't a zero in the power department. He stole 40 bases and was caught nine times, and it's fair to assume he will run as much as he can in the majors. Unfortunately, while Acuna can make some flashy plays at shortstop, he might fit better at second base, where there would be more pressure on his bat. Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Josh Jung are a pretty clear-cut infield of the future at the positions Acuna can play, so he may need to break in as a utility player.

While he stands at least four inches shorter than his older brother, Ronald Acuna, Luisangel is arguably more advanced as a baseball player than his older brother was at the same age. He will probably never hit 30 homers in a season, much less 41 like big brother, but Acuna had a loud showing in the fall instructional league and walked more than he struck out in the Dominican Summer League in 2019. The hope is that he develops a plus hit tool and is fast enough to steal 20-plus bases when he reaches the big leagues. He will likely end up at second base, but he has enough arm to handle the left side of the infield if necessary. Acuna has five-category potential, but we've still got little data to work with. We will learn a lot about his trajectory when he makes his full-season debut this season.

Ronald Acuna Jr. could eventually be joined in the majors by multiple younger brothers, with Luisangel, 17, and Bryan, 14, already approaching phenom status within their age groups. While Luisangel had a very impressive debut in the Dominican Summer League, he is not going to have the same game as his older brother. The 5-foot-10 middle infielder is appealing due to his extreme polish rather than extreme physical tools. He had more walks (34) than strikeouts (26) in 51 games -- something his big brother has never done at any pro stop. Acuna slashed .342/.438/.455 with two home runs and 17 steals on 23 attempts. Given his bloodlines and command of the strike zone, we can expect him to develop average or better power as he matures, and he could retain above-average speed into his mid-20s, but it's his potentially plus-plus hit tool that is the most appealing aspect of the profile right now.