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NO STAT IS SAFE. NO ERA IS FORGOTTEN.
VOL. 1, NO. 49 · FEBRUARY 1, 2027 · EVERY MONDAY
ISSUE #049 · MODERN
Ronald Acuña Jr. — The First
40-70 Player In History
In 2023, Ronald Acuña Jr. joined a club of one: the only player in 150 years of baseball to hit 40 home runs
📅 THIS DATE IN
BASEBALL and steal 70 bases in the same season.
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
HE DID SOMETHING NOBODY HAD EVER DONE. THEN HIS KNEE ENDED THE CONVERSATION.
41 HR, 73 SB In 2023. First 40-70 Season In MLB
History. Then The ACL.
ACUÑA 2023 HR ACUÑA 2023 SB SEASON BA
.416 2023 ACL tear
SEASON OBP UNANIMOUS NL MVP MAY 2024
Acuña hit 41 HR and stole 73 bases in 2023 — becoming the first player in baseball history to reach 40 HR
and 70 SB in the same season. He hit .337 with a .416 OBP and won the NL MVP unanimously. He was 25
years old. In May 2024 he tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
VS Multiple SEPTEMBER 2023
73 .337 25 NL MVP
SEASON HR SEASON SB SEASON BA AGE RESULT
THE FIRST PLAYER IN 150 YEARS OF BASEBALL TO REACH 40 HR AND 70 SB
Acuña's 2023 season was one of the most complete offensive seasons in baseball history. He combined
elite power (41 HR), elite speed (73 SB), elite contact (.337 BA), and elite plate discipline (.416 OBP) into a
single year that had never existed before. He did it at 25 years old. He was the best player in baseball by
every measurement simultaneously. Then in May 2024, during a routine play, his left ACL tore. The trajectory
that pointed at generational greatness was interrupted.
ERA VS ERA 03
Is Acuña's 2023 The Greatest Offensive Season In Modern
History?
ACUÑA 2023 BONDS 2001
HR HR
SB VS OPS+
73 — never done with 40+ HR 235 — highest ever
BA CONTEXT
.337 — hit for average too Steroid era
Bonds' 2001 season is the greatest by raw offensive output (73 HR, 235 OPS+). Acuña's 2023 is the most
complete — combining power, speed, and average at levels nobody had combined before. Bonds was a better
hitter. Acuña was a more complete player. Both seasons are genuinely historic.
Greatest single offensive season in modern baseball?
ACUÑA 2023 — MOST COMPLETE SEASON EVER BONDS 2001 — 73 HR, 235 OPS+
RUTH 1927 — 60 HR BEFORE ANYONE ELSE REACHED 50 OHTANI 2024 — 50-50 WHILE BEING A PITCHER TOO
THE COLDEST MOMENT 04
MAY 26, 2024 · THE ACL
He Tore His ACL In May 2024 — 8 Months After The
Greatest Season Of His Career.
Acuña tore his left ACL during a routine play in May 2024 — just 8 months after his historic 40-
70 season. He was 26 years old. The injury ended his 2024 season and raised questions about
whether the speed component of his game — the 73 stolen bases, the aggressive baserunning
— would survive the recovery. ACL recoveries for elite athletes are generally strong. But 73 SB-
level speed is not guaranteed to return.
I will come back. There is more baseball in me.
— RONALD ACUÑA JR., 2024
THE STAT VAULT 05
2023 BATTING AVERAGE
HR-SB IN 2023
41-73 .337 He hit for average AND power AND speed.
First 40-70 season in the 150-year history
The triple threat had never existed in one
of professional baseball.
season.
AGE DURING 40-70 SEASON ACL TEAR YEAR
He was 25 years old. The career arc May 26, 2024. The knee changed the
pointed at generational status. trajectory. Recovery ongoing.
2023 UNANIMOUS NL MVP
The only player in NL history with a 40-70 season. The vote was not close.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Freddie Freeman
ATLANTA BRAVES / LA DODGERS · 2010-PRESENT
.300 BA · 350+ HR · 2020 NL MVP · 1 WS RING
2020 NL MVP. Acuña's Teammate. .300 Career BA With 350+ HR. Overshadowed
By His Own Teammate.
Freddie Freeman hit .300 with 350+ HR across 15 seasons, won the 2020 NL MVP, and won the 2021 World
Series with Atlanta. He was Acuña's teammate for 5 seasons. He left in free agency and won a World Series
with LA in 2024. He's one of the five best first basemen of his era and gets about 20% of Acuña's attention.
THE CONNECTION:
Freeman and Acuña were the core of the 2021 World Series champions. Acuña tore his ACL in the
regular season and missed the title. Freeman won the ring, left, and won another one. Same
franchise, different outcomes, different levels of fame.
COMING NEXT MONDAY
Next Monday: Mariano Rivera was elected to the Hall of Fame unanimously — the first and only player in
history. 652 saves. One pitch.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player from any era who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
All Eras. All Stats. No Debate.
Every Monday. No exceptions.