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Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. had the highest-selling jersey on MLB’s official online store through the first half of the 2023 season.
No other Braves player has topped the list since MLB first began detailing jersey sales in 2010, according to Bleacher Report.
The Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr., New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge and Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve rounded out the top five.
Acuña is leading all position players in WAR (4.8) at FanGraphs. He has 21 home runs, 55 RBI and a National League-high 41 steals to go along with a .331/.408/.582 slash line.
Ronald Acuña Jr. has homers and highlights for days
It’s been four years since Acuña’s breakout 2019 season, when he hit 41 homers, drove in 101 runs and led the NL with 37 stolen bases. Acuña, 25, hasn’t played more than 119 games in a season since. He underwent ACL surgery in July 2021 and started last season on the injured list as he continued to rehab his right knee. Once he was activated, he held his own but hit just .266 with 15 home runs and 29 stolen bases (and was caught stealing a league-leading 11 times). Acuña looked like he was operating at about 85 percent last season, but this spring, for the first time since the surgery, he’s moving the way he did in 2019. I think he’ll get back to playing at his accustomed level. In fact, he’s my early pick for NL MVP.
Jim Bowden, The Athletic
SportsTalk ATL reports Acuña was still recovering from an ACL injury that clearly held him back last season.
Acuña does not have an extensive history of injuries. In 2018, his rookie season, he sustained a mild ACL sprain in his left knee and was out from May 27 until June 29. He finished that campaign strong, slashing .293/.366/.552 with 26 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 111 games, earning him NL Rookie of the Year.
Acuña isn’t just a top candidate for the Comeback Player of the Year award, he’s also a legitimate threat to win MVP.
Alex Anthopoulos, his teammates, and people around the league have raved about how he looks compared to where he was this time last year.
By all accounts, fans, teammates, and opponents expect him to be a much better version of himself like we’re already seeing this year. Not only is he performing on the diamond but his comeback is fueled by an international fanbase in support of the top-jersey seller in the big leagues.