As Luisangel Acuña flashes his skillset, he's leaving Mets with difficult decision

Yahoo

21-04-2025

Luisangel Acuña is making a looming choice about the Mets' roster construction particularly difficult for the club's decision-makers.
Before the 2025 season began, it seemed as though the 23-year-old prospect might need some more development time in the minor leagues despite a rousing introduction at the end of 2024.
New York Mets shortstop Luisangel Acuna (2) blows a bubble during the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 20, 2025, at Citi Field.
An oblique injury to Jeff McNeil two weeks before Opening Day thrust Acuña onto the major league roster in a platoon with Brett Baty to start the season. And now, after some initial struggles to begin 2025, Acuña has proven the promise he could provide if he remains with the club.
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"I was obviously thrust into very important games, so I was able to grow my confidence through the success that I had," Acuña told NorthJersey.com through an interpreter last week. "When I came here for spring training, I already had that confidence built in and the guys that really helped me to continue to grow and really hone in as a baseball player."
Luisangel Acuña at the plate
New York Mets second baseman Luisangel Acuna (2) hits a double against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning on April 19, 2025, at Citi Field.
When Francisco Lindor jammed his back after lunging for second base on Sept. 14, 2024, there was a collective sense of worry surrounding the Mets.
For Acuña, it meant an opportunity to play on the grandest stage. He made his major league debut with the Mets holding a one-game advantage for the final National League Wild Card spot and rose to the occasion. In 14 games, Acuña was 12-for-39 (.308), belted three home runs and made one error in 43 chances.
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It also helped the Mets coaching staff, who had not seen him firsthand following a trade from the Texas Rangers at the 2023 deadline, begin to get familiar with him.
"The more you know someone the better. Some familiarity to get to understand how he thinks," Mets hitting coach Jeremy Barnes said. "I'm trying to learn certain words in Spanish and be able to help those kind of things out. It's good.
"He's a great kid, open-minded, can't ask for anything more than that. Getting to see him continue to mature and develop is fun."
After opening this season 2-for-17 with one double, two runs, one stolen base and four strikeouts, Acuña is 11-for-28 with four doubles, eight runs, one RBI and five stolen bases in his last 10 games.
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Recently, he's delivered in big moments, tying the series finale with the Twins with an eighth-inning RBI single on April 16 and doubling and scoring the go-ahead run during Saturday's win over the Cardinals.
Barnes sees a player that is getting more and more comfortable. For Acuña, he's credited a recent run of success with honing in on his routine.
"It's doing things and angles and arm slots to keep behind the ball," Barnes said of Acuña's routine. "We have one dialed in that kind of blends everything that he wants to feel and work on that checks the boxes. That's a big thing for a young guy is dialing in that routine to where it's kind of keeping in check and get some of the feels that he wants to have on a daily basis."
Carlos Mendoza: 'He could be dangerous'
New York Mets shortstop Luisangel Acuna (2) steals second base during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins on April 8, 2025, at Citi Field.
In the series opener against the Twins on April 14, Acuña saw his opening.
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The 23-year-old speedster delivered a picture-perfect bunt up the third-base line , forcing reliever Jorge Alcala to throw wide of first base. Two batters later, Juan Soto tagged a two-run home run to right field.
This season, Acuña, who once had a bet with his brother Ronald Jr. on who could steal more bases in 2023, is 6-for-6 on his stolen base attempts. His 10 runs trail only Pete Alonso, Soto and Lindor on the Mets.
"There's a lot of different ways he can help you win a baseball game, put pressure on their pitchers, on their defense by not only stealing a base but taking an extra base, going first to third, first to home," Mendoza said. "Having him on the bases, he adds some extra pressure. Not only the defense, the versatility, he's having good results, getting good at-bats but when he gets on base, he could be dangerous."
Acuña's sprint speed is the eighth-fastest in Major League Baseball, and his baserunning acumen has provided the Mets' coaching staff, including first-base coach Antoan Richardson, with an added weapon at the bottom of the lineup.
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"Every time he gets to first base, we kind of like laugh and joke because he's like, 'Watch me on a double or a single,'" Richardson said. "I think his mindset and his intent, he wants to be really good at it. I think that's refreshing."
Another position for Luisangel Acuña?
New York Mets shortstop Luisangel Acuna (2) forces out St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) at second base during the first inning on April 20, 2025, at Citi Field.
Despite breaking in as a shortstop out of Venezuela, Acuña has been showcasing his glove at second base throughout the early portion of this season.
"His ability to slow the game down – the game clock," Mendoza said about what stands out with Acuña's defense. "I feel like he's got a really good awareness of who the runner is, the situation of the game.
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"He's got plus, plus range, but not only he gets to balls but he also has the ability to set his feet and control the tempo. He's not rushing plays and that's good to see from an infielder that young."
That speed and defensive awareness could set up Acuña for his latest challenge. With Jose Siri sidelined with a fractured tibia, Acuña's name has been floated as an option to play center field.
Acuña spent 31 games in the heart of the outfield with Triple-A Syracuse last season and has begun shagging flies at the position. Now, the Mets are trying to get him comfortable in one more spot at the major league level.
"I think giving him everything that he needs and nothing more," Richardson said. "I think especially a young player with a lot on his plate, trying to be able to hit in the major leagues, trying to be able to hit in the major leagues, trying to figure out how to play the middle infield, which is very demanding, for me, it's just trying to simplify it as much as possible."
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With a proven ability to perform at the major league level, the Mets appear to be searching for ways to give Acuña an opportunity to play. Soon, when McNeil returns, the Mets will have to make a call whether Acuña stays. The 23-year-old is making a loud case to stay.
As McNeil nears a return, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza wants Acuña and Baty
"We're still a few days away. The good thing is if we are having these discussions, it's a good thing," Mendoza said. "That means Baty continues to play well, that means Acuna continues to play well and they're making that decision very tough on us. That's what we want."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Luisangel Acuña showcasing talent early in 2025 seaosn