Ronald Acuña Jr. is leaving Atlanta Braves camp to join Team Venezuela for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and he reflected on how his previous WBC experience helped him.
Acuña showed he is ready on the field as well. In Atlanta’s final Grapefruit League game, he stole two bases in the first inning and hit a grand slam in the third, helping the Braves beat the Boston Red Sox 15-8.
“I think it helped a lot,” Acuña said, according to MLB.com. “There’s good hitting and good pitching and a lot of superstars playing. The last World Baseball Classic, I didn’t have a good Baseball Classic, but there’s a new Baseball Classic this year. So I’m excited.”
Representing Venezuela in the WBC
Acuña will join teammates Ozzie Albies, Jurickson Profar, Chadwick Tromp, and Nacho Alvarez Jr. for the WBC. He expressed pride in representing his country: “Every time we put on the jersey that says Venezuela, I’m so proud. I want to do something special for my country, and I want to make everybody proud,” Acuña said.
Acuña’s performance and goals
Acuña’s 2023 season was historic, hitting .337 with 41 home runs, 73 stolen bases, and a 1.012 OPS after his first WBC experience. Few players in MLB history have reached similar numbers at age 25 or younger, including Albert Pujols and Vladimir Guerrero.
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“We were born for this,” Acuña said. “The Dominican has a really good team, and so does the USA. But we have a really good team. We’ll play the game the right way and see what happens out there.”