Luisangel Acuña is one of several major leaguers getting action in an ongoing professional league this winter. Acuña has been playing, and thriving, with Cardenales de Lara of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Despite not playing in the team’s win on Saturday, as he left Friday’s game as a precaution due to leg/foot discomfort, Acuña has played a large role for the club since joining.
So far, Acuña has appeared in 11 of Cardenales de Lara’s 31 games this winter. Across these 11 games, Acuña has 33 at-bats and is hitting a hefty .364. Of his 12 hits, four are the extra-base variety. He has two doubles, a triple, and a home run. The 22-year-old has only struck out five times and, as a result, has a sparkling .421 on-base percentage. In all, his OPS sits at .997. He has been playing shortstop and had a huge game in his last start, going 2-for-2 with a double and triple on Friday.
It will be interesting to see how the young Acuña factors into the Mets’ plans in 2025. Of course, to end the regular season, in his first big league action, he impressed mightily. He flashed his power, hitting three home runs en route to a .966 OPS across 39 at-bats to end the regular season. This was all extremely encouraging given his .654 OPS across 547 at-bats with Triple-A Syracuse previous to the call-up.
With shortstop locked up, will Acuña be an option at second base on Opening Day in 2025? Will he get run in center field? Or, will the Mets capitalize on his strong showing at the end of the regular season and move him in a deal for an established, controllable asset?
President of baseball operations, David Stearns, certainly has his options. Regardless, it is great to see Acuña taking advantage of some extra reps in Venezuelan. Hopefully, he can continue to excel and use winter ball to further develop and get ready for whatever 2025 holds for him.
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