On Friday, Ronald Acuña Jr., the star of the Atlanta Braves, etched his name into baseball history by becoming the fifth player ever to join the prestigious 40-40 club.

 

This exclusive group includes only Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Alfonso Soriano, all of whom previously achieved this remarkable feat. Bonds, a legendary figure in baseball history, reached out to Acuña with a heartfelt message on Instagram to celebrate this historic accomplishment.

 

Bonds conveyed his congratulations to Acuña, writing, “Congratulations @ronaldacunajr13 for joining the 40/40 club. And also writing your own club… 40/70 and still counting, you are a BAD Boy stay healthy and God Bless you,” in his Instagram post.

Acuña responded with gratitude in the comment section, simply saying, “Thank you.”

 

Hitting 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases in a single season is a remarkable achievement in itself, but Acuña has taken it a step further in 2023. Bonds’ comment alluded to Acuña “writing” his own club, and he wasn’t exaggerating. Acuña stands alone as the first player in baseball history to achieve the 40-60 mark, leading the league with an impressive 68 stolen bases, with 70 steals well within reach before the season’s end.

 

The race for the National League MVP was a topic of debate, with stars like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Matt Olson of the Braves in contention. However, Acuña’s historic accomplishment has shifted the conversation. It would be a stunning upset if Acuña were not to claim the NL MVP award after entering this exclusive club.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is not only having an MVP-caliber season but also one of the most exceptional individual seasons in baseball history. Perhaps he can culminate this remarkable year by leading the Braves to a World Series victory.