Who is Luisangel Acuña? Mets infielder dishes on food, family and brother Ronald
LOS ANGELES - Who is Luisangel Acuna?
He's a 23-year-old New York Mets infielder from Venezuela, April's National League Rookie of the Month and the younger brother of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr.
The younger Acuña was one of the Texas Rangers' top prospects when the Mets acquired him in exchange for Max Scherzer in July 2023. The speedy, slick-fielding middle infielder made his Major League debut last September and has been with the Mets since Opening Day this year.
Before the Acuña brothers get set to face each other for the first time later this month (Luisangel traveled to Atlanta with the Mets late last year, but Ronald was still recovering from his torn ACL at the time), we caught up with Luisangel during the Mets' trip to Los Angeles this week to get to know him better.
(Note: Questions and answers were through an interpreter and may be edited for clarity or brevity.)
If you were to ask your family and friends to describe you as a person, what would they say?
They would say I'm a happy guy, that I'm the type of person who will fight and do whatever to achieve their dreams. And that I'm a humble person, that's what they would say.
What do you like to do when you're not at the field?
I like to be with family. I like to go out to the rivers where I'm from, because we're kind of on the coast of Venezuela, so I like to go to the rivers with my family and spend time there.
What do you like to do there?
Sometimes we'll go there and have, like, a barbecue, grilling there and just hanging out.
What's your go-to meal when you're back home?
Whenever I go to Venezuela, I have to have fish.
How does the fish compare here?
Here, in the states, I just eat salmon.
Are you a cook yourself?
No, no.
Who's the best cook in your family?
I think my grandmother's the best one. My mom's a close second, but I think my grandmother's the best one.
How much do you miss that home cooking?
I don't miss it too much just because in New York there are a lot of Latin restaurants I can go to, and I can order arepas or whatever I want, so I can get my fix that way.
You won the NL Rookie of the Month Award in April. What did that mean to you or show you?
It felt good. I didn't know I had won it until they told me when I got here. My brother called me, congratulated me, but it was definitely an honor to be able to win an award like that.
You mentioned chatting with your brother. How much have you leaned on Ronald going through the ups and downs of a season?
Yeah, whenever we're in Venezuela, we train a lot together. The thing he always tells me is whenever I go out to play, be consistent, have the same type of discipline and work hard.
How competitive were you guys growing up?
Yeah, I would say we're competitive, but it's like a fun competition. It's one of those where he's just challenging me to get better. For instance, whoever has more hits this month, the one who loses pays for a dinner or something like that. But it's really just innocent competition.
I heard you liked basketball growing up. Who's the better basketball player?
My brother's better than me. He's taller than I am.
Do you have the edge anywhere? Is there an activity where you're like, 'I'm better than him' in this?
I'm faster than him.
Last September, Ronald was injured when you went to Atlanta. Now, you're set to face him later this month. How much have you guys thought about that trip?
Even before he came back from his injury this year, he had been telling me, 'Hey, the Mets are going to come in June.' So, I know he's been really excited about that potential opportunity.
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner .
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