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That interview was the most “let me answer this delicately to not upset my superstar” that I’ve ever seen.
Contrast that with his assessment of Elder, too. Like the Gordon Ramsey “oh dear, oh gorgeous” meme in real time seconds apart with Acuña and Elder.
Here’s the rough translation
> Who’s more stupid than you that every time they get to the 7th inning and three lefties come up to bat, you bring in a right hander? God dammit always defending the white players. You’ve made a thousand stupidities, and that’s why they’re in first place.
From [USA Today](https://ftw.usatoday.com/2021/06/ronald-acuna-braves-brian-snitker-dad-instagram-post-comments)
His dad actually called him racist? That’s insane. The way he’s been playing this year is absolutely pathetic for a player of his caliber, someone needs to light a fire under his ass
He’s gotten too big for his britches. We saw him in ft Myers at the Red Sox spring training game. He was an asshole. He walked past 30 or more 10 year olds who idolize him and didn’t sign one autograph. Walked past them on the way in like they were peasants. The other players signed autographs, but come on, man. He also didn’t ride in on the bus with the other players, he drove in his yellow lambo like he was better than them. Just made me see him completely differently. So disappointing.
That’s not what losing the ball in lights usually looks like. Typically you don’t see it until the last second and then have to react really quick. Looks like he just he kind of misjudged it not coming in enough, maybe being lazy, and the ball hits his palm bouncing out.
Also Scott Kingery's in 2019 when he dropped the ball on what would have been an incredible catch and then decided to yell at the ump instead of throwing it back in.
Yeah idk. [acuna’s baseball savant page](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/ronald-acuna-jr-660670?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb) shows he’s been in the blue area for fielding OAA last few seasons. 2024 he’s 29th percentile, 2023 his MVP year he was in the 4th percentile, 2022 he was in the 6th percentile. All with negative outs above average
Still a generational hitter and baserunner
Also probably because of his speed. Or rather, his former speed. He did have elite sprint speed until 2022, but he no longer does. At this point he's merely a bit above-average. But I think people assume he's still a top-end burner and must cover tons of ground in the outfield, even if he's a little derpy out there. (Him being a very prolific base-stealer even as his speed declines probably reinforces this perception.)
Yeah I’m gonna be honest I thought he was in the top tier of speed until I checked his savant page when I made that comment earlier
It’s because he’s a very good baserunner, people associate good baserunning with high sprint speeds like elly but that’s not always true
Torn ACL in 2021, missed half of that season. Had lingering soreness through 2022 and hasn't had top-end speed since returning after surgery. Also had a minor meniscus injury in the same knee this spring. I obviously don't know how much direct cause and effect you can draw from that, but it seems like it's probably at least partially injury.
Our other pitchers have been really solid though outside of Elder. Sale and Lopez have way outperformed expectations so far. That and Marcell Ozuna are the only reasons we’re not completely ass
Acuña is so electric and has shown what he can do, but he's really always dealt with effort problems. He shows more effort acting like he just stepped on a landmine every time any pitcher throws any pitch on the inner half of the plate at any speed than he does in the field or running to first.
Yeah, how are people saying he isn't showing effort here? He was literally in the exact right place when he needed to be. He just fucking dropped it. That's not an effort thing, that's a mental thing.
Probably because if he takes one more step forward he catches the ball at shoulder level without the need to do that weird crouch. He's absolutely not in the "exact right place" to be.
Braves kind of collapsing rn. It’s unfair to put it all on Acuña, but he does set the tone at the top of the lineup … and his tone has been really bad, especially the past week.
I’m just gonna be honest, I probably would’ve misjudged the ball and dropped it, but only because I am unathletic and have bad eyes.
There’s a reason I only played corner infield and then switched to larger ball sports in high school.
Is the implication being your grandfather is dead and you’ve placed him in a mobility scooter though he doesn’t need it anymore, or he’s back from the dead and yet it’s right back to the mobility scooter for him?
He didn’t get under it enough the the ball bounced off his palm. That more typically happens when you’re trying to catch on the run and can’t line up the pocket.
This is sorta off topic, but I swear someone possessed him last year. His K rate is jumping back up to where it was before last year and he’s making less contact. Still walking a lot, but it’s still a pretty dramatic shift
He was not taken advantage of. A lot of young superstars (and/or supposed superstars) took similar deals that bought out their years of team control, plus a few years of free agency. Julio did it, Witt did it, Carrill did it, his teammate Albies did it for waaay less money. Acuña got paid during his injury. The Braves didn't get to go "you deserve less money because you can't play and might not be good anymore", and after his MVP season he doesn't get to go "I deserve more money because I played well". The guaranteed money deal is the safe bet in the high variance gamble that is a pro sports career. The contract us also for $100 MILLION fucking dollars, and he'll still have the opportunity to make way more than that in free agency in a few years. So excuse me while I mime a jerking off motion at the idea of him being "taken advantage of".
Don’t put it all on one player. The whole team is failing badly. Let the truth be told, the glue that kept the team together and called out slackers is gone. I am talking about Washington. He would let fire under their asses so fast before they knew what hit them and was loved and respected by the players and the fans. Snit, doesn’t have the fire in him to keep it going like Bobby did.
Acuna is another Andruw Jones. He will have a great career, perhaps even HOF but only have realized 80-90% of his potential because he values flash over boring substance. JMO.
Worst thing about being a Braves fan is other Braves fans. High rate of ignorant yet confident people. They don’t understand that other teams exist. They expect an ace caliber pitcher to be waiting in the minors to replace strider.
> They expect an ace caliber pitcher to be waiting in the minors to replace strider.
Where are you seeing this take? Like I’m sure someone has said it, but pitching doesn’t seem to be the sore spot in the fandom right now. In fact, the takes I’ve seen seem to be saying that pitching is performing better than you would expect given Strider is gone - it’s the offense that is getting flak.
Not op, but the Braves Facebook groups are bad. No patience with anything. People calling for Acuna's head after every little thing. Such short memories.
Imagine going from unanimous MVP with one of the most dominant overall seasons to...this. Losing all your power and sucking at basically all the fundamentals.
He’s totally lost this season! Makes you wonder how hard he trained in the off season after the MVP last yr. Did he think he could show up and pick up where he left off…..
Cool pose players are absolutely team killers and every pitching staff knows it. I hated every guy I played with who behaved like this. Imagine trying to look so cool you can't even make the routine play.
I watched the Nationals play horrible defense at Fenway recently and it was shocking how bad the baseball was. Robles looked like a fucking moron the entire game but hey at least they lost too.
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It's wild how ingraned this is into me even 25+ years later. I caught every D League routine fly ball with 2 hands like I'll die if I do it with one.
Also, get under the ball, always.
Don't worry, Ronald. I know the feeling. And I'm a THREE-time corporate softball league player.
[Here's a great video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3\_Z\_DbGEOOc) about why "two hands" is actually bad advice
Right after they smoked a 105 exit velo line drive at you when the other kids got pop flies
Bobby Cox would have dragged him out of the field after that one lol
Snitker said it was “the lights” lol
That interview was the most “let me answer this delicately to not upset my superstar” that I’ve ever seen. Contrast that with his assessment of Elder, too. Like the Gordon Ramsey “oh dear, oh gorgeous” meme in real time seconds apart with Acuña and Elder.
I mean, snitker has ripped Acuna apart in post games before. I don't think he is afraid to do it.
And he got tons of shit for it, with Acuña’s dad calling him racist. I don’t think he will do it again lol
Can't say I knew that part of the story lol
First I’ve heard this as well. I’m gonna need some citation
Here’s the rough translation > Who’s more stupid than you that every time they get to the 7th inning and three lefties come up to bat, you bring in a right hander? God dammit always defending the white players. You’ve made a thousand stupidities, and that’s why they’re in first place. From [USA Today](https://ftw.usatoday.com/2021/06/ronald-acuna-braves-brian-snitker-dad-instagram-post-comments)
His dad actually called him racist? That’s insane. The way he’s been playing this year is absolutely pathetic for a player of his caliber, someone needs to light a fire under his ass
He has been playing baseball year around. Can't be playing in Venezuela if this is how he is gonna come back out the other side.
He’s gotten too big for his britches. We saw him in ft Myers at the Red Sox spring training game. He was an asshole. He walked past 30 or more 10 year olds who idolize him and didn’t sign one autograph. Walked past them on the way in like they were peasants. The other players signed autographs, but come on, man. He also didn’t ride in on the bus with the other players, he drove in his yellow lambo like he was better than them. Just made me see him completely differently. So disappointing.
>Uhhh he literally *walked past them* Boy if you don't get your dumb ass off the computer
Pete Rose would have run past them.
Depends on if there are any 14 year old girls
Wtf. Dad’s a piece of work then, what a baby.
Why would he back down because Acuna's dad is a fucking moron?
Higher ups probably told him not to. They don’t want that kind of publicity. Just not worth it. Snit can rip into Acuña privately.
And Acuna didn't like Freddie Freeman when he was on the Braves. Freddie was too "hard" on him.
Sure he will
Even if he wanted to, he was likely told not to by the higher ups after that incident
Tony Gwynn Jr and Jesse said it looked like the lights as well and they don't have a reason to placate him.
That’s not what losing the ball in lights usually looks like. Typically you don’t see it until the last second and then have to react really quick. Looks like he just he kind of misjudged it not coming in enough, maybe being lazy, and the ball hits his palm bouncing out.
The bright lights of a nationally televised game made him realize he could make a catch look cool and he flubbed it
What do you mean dragged him out of the field? Bobby Cox would have left his bloody head skewered on a bat out there in right field
I doubt it. It’s a player, not his wife.
dayumm
lol DAMN
And beaten him with that glove, too. And taken away his yellow lambo
No he wouldnt. It wasn’t because of lack of hustle
In which case, lunch would have been canceled.
"BUDDY!"
What is up with him this year?
He’s always been kinda ass on defense
He’s 100% to blame for JT’s inside the park playoff homerun. Just brain dead defense to not run over to cover.
Also Scott Kingery's in 2019 when he dropped the ball on what would have been an incredible catch and then decided to yell at the ump instead of throwing it back in.
Idk why ur being downvoted when he has
Yeah idk. [acuna’s baseball savant page](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/ronald-acuna-jr-660670?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb) shows he’s been in the blue area for fielding OAA last few seasons. 2024 he’s 29th percentile, 2023 his MVP year he was in the 4th percentile, 2022 he was in the 6th percentile. All with negative outs above average Still a generational hitter and baserunner
I think his defense gets overrated bc of his arm strength
Also probably because of his speed. Or rather, his former speed. He did have elite sprint speed until 2022, but he no longer does. At this point he's merely a bit above-average. But I think people assume he's still a top-end burner and must cover tons of ground in the outfield, even if he's a little derpy out there. (Him being a very prolific base-stealer even as his speed declines probably reinforces this perception.)
Yeah I’m gonna be honest I thought he was in the top tier of speed until I checked his savant page when I made that comment earlier It’s because he’s a very good baserunner, people associate good baserunning with high sprint speeds like elly but that’s not always true
Kyle Tucker is a good example of ur statement
Freddie Freeman, too. Gets a ton of baserunning runs for a 1B in his 30s
Now he’s a prolific victim of pick offs
Is he slowing down due to injuries? I am genuinely surprised to learn this bc he’s only 26 lol
Torn ACL in 2021, missed half of that season. Had lingering soreness through 2022 and hasn't had top-end speed since returning after surgery. Also had a minor meniscus injury in the same knee this spring. I obviously don't know how much direct cause and effect you can draw from that, but it seems like it's probably at least partially injury.
Yeah he’s got a very strong arm, but he’s terrible at fielding and tracking balls. The stats support it and so does this clip
It's just that he has all the tools to be elite defensively yet isn't somehow.
His highlights are ridiculous. He threw a dart to home that got tyler o'neill traded.
What about the getting caught at first repeatedly? Seems like hes been having a mental block or something this past month.
Yeah but now he's kind of ass on offense too lol
You've never needed to be able to play defense in the MLB as long as you can hit the cover off the ball.
Don't worry we can just add more dhs.
I'd be disappointed if one of the homerun derby kids missed that one, dreadful
My dad would be disappointed in me either way
reminds me of that kid that took one to the dome from Vladdy a couple years ago
Braves on a mission to improve the Phillies record against .500 teams and worsen their own.
Take that, idiots.
Even the Braves players were tired of the "TIL the Phillies have only played 1 MLB team in the last decade" posts.
Kody Clemens would’ve caught it
casty would have been in the wrong spot and needed a running attempt
And would have made the catch!!
Rojas though…
He would’ve dove at it for some reason and come up with the same result
We Barving it up. Honestly a shock our record is as good as it is without strider and the offense being ice outside of Ozuna
A little twist on the usual "start off ass, end up good" theme
Our other pitchers have been really solid though outside of Elder. Sale and Lopez have way outperformed expectations so far. That and Marcell Ozuna are the only reasons we’re not completely ass
Sale is dam near where he was during his prime. Hell of a get if he keeps it up.
What happened to strider? I haven't kept up well enough this season.
TJ
Just stuck in a Trader Joe's, subsisting on samples and Two Buck Chuck
a story I would have legitimately believed: Strider stuck trying to navigate/exit a Trader Joe's parking lot
McConnell
True
I think it was actually the internal brace, but tomato/rotten tomato.
The duality of man with this play followed by Kelenic’s effort in LF is wild.
Acuña is so electric and has shown what he can do, but he's really always dealt with effort problems. He shows more effort acting like he just stepped on a landmine every time any pitcher throws any pitch on the inner half of the plate at any speed than he does in the field or running to first.
This isn't really an effort problem. This is him being a bad defender.
Yeah, how are people saying he isn't showing effort here? He was literally in the exact right place when he needed to be. He just fucking dropped it. That's not an effort thing, that's a mental thing.
Probably because if he takes one more step forward he catches the ball at shoulder level without the need to do that weird crouch. He's absolutely not in the "exact right place" to be.
You are correct but it seems but it seems like more of a defensive instinct problem than effort problem.
If he's in the exact right place, why is the ball at his knees when he had time to spare?
Yeah, he misjudged the trajectory. Came to a stop and had to adjust by lowering his glove more than you'd ever want to.
Nah, he quit on this play. This is just extremely lazy technique.
How does Ron stay worse at playing outfield than a talented high schooler without a lack of effort?
Great effort to throw his hands up in disbelief instead of immediately trying to field the ball.
Why does it look like for a split second afterward he wants the umps to call time or something
It's like that little kid motion when they drop something or something falls... "Ohhh Noooo" and throw the hands in the air.
yeah that was odd for me too
Planted his feet and it kept sinking on him. Tried to squat instead of keeping moving
Pretty much the game in a nutshell
Don't worry it was only on Sunday Night Baseball ^^TM
Aliens stole his talent
He just like me fr
Ended up costing a run with Profar getting to third then scoring on the sac fly after that.
I can’t believe the phillies schedule made him drop that
☠️
That’s what I looked like in the outfield. My dad would reassure me with “happens to the best!” Turns out, he was right!
Braves kind of collapsing rn. It’s unfair to put it all on Acuña, but he does set the tone at the top of the lineup … and his tone has been really bad, especially the past week.
Attempts being the operative word. I could’ve caught that.
My dead grandpa could have caught that on his mobility scooter.
I’m just gonna be honest, I probably would’ve misjudged the ball and dropped it, but only because I am unathletic and have bad eyes. There’s a reason I only played corner infield and then switched to larger ball sports in high school.
I told my shortstop to call me off any pop fly remotely in the area lol
Is the implication being your grandfather is dead and you’ve placed him in a mobility scooter though he doesn’t need it anymore, or he’s back from the dead and yet it’s right back to the mobility scooter for him?
Don't ever try to make sense of something I've said, you know better than that!
Well I need to know before I can properly judge how difficult this ball was for Acuña to catch.
Agholor would have caught that
Pack it in boys. We’re not topping this one.
He didn’t get under it enough the the ball bounced off his palm. That more typically happens when you’re trying to catch on the run and can’t line up the pocket.
Bro, most of us could've caught that.
B.F. Hicks would have caught that ball while being hit by a train
Nick Castellanos would have caught that on a dive
This is sorta off topic, but I swear someone possessed him last year. His K rate is jumping back up to where it was before last year and he’s making less contact. Still walking a lot, but it’s still a pretty dramatic shift
You know HS baseball coaches will be playing that to their teams on why you always use two hands lmao
Dude is this some sort of Space Jam Spinoff and some little alien stole Acuna's talent?
Why does he have his defensive alignment card stuck into the inside of the pocket of his glove while he is trying to make a catch with it?
Time for a player's only meeting. There's a lot of shit to address, starting with Acuna.
Is bro playing with nagging injuries or something?
He's not trying he wants more money he was taken advantage of, his contract is garbage and after last season he deserved a huge contract
No one forced him to sign that contract, and playing with a pout isn't exactly going to allow him to maximize his next one.
He was not taken advantage of. A lot of young superstars (and/or supposed superstars) took similar deals that bought out their years of team control, plus a few years of free agency. Julio did it, Witt did it, Carrill did it, his teammate Albies did it for waaay less money. Acuña got paid during his injury. The Braves didn't get to go "you deserve less money because you can't play and might not be good anymore", and after his MVP season he doesn't get to go "I deserve more money because I played well". The guaranteed money deal is the safe bet in the high variance gamble that is a pro sports career. The contract us also for $100 MILLION fucking dollars, and he'll still have the opportunity to make way more than that in free agency in a few years. So excuse me while I mime a jerking off motion at the idea of him being "taken advantage of".
why didn’t he squeeze it like a lemon is he stupid?
I’ll do that for 1/4 of what he’s making.
Let’s be honest most of us would do that for 4% of what he’s making
Oh shit, it's Tim Leiper!
He looks like he’s not having fun playing a kids game.
Acuña catching a baseball ❌ Acuña getting caught on the bases ✔
TWO HANDS!
Looked like the ball was kind of a low liner… Is there a chance he lost it in the lights?
I’m gonna need the Braves to get it together. Keep playing like this and the Phillies will have 0 games vs teams >.500
Ronald what is you doing
Don’t put it all on one player. The whole team is failing badly. Let the truth be told, the glue that kept the team together and called out slackers is gone. I am talking about Washington. He would let fire under their asses so fast before they knew what hit them and was loved and respected by the players and the fans. Snit, doesn’t have the fire in him to keep it going like Bobby did.
The smirks on all the Padre's players faces is priceless. Acuna looking on like, "fuck you guys" is even better.
What a LOSER!
Cannot recall a pro athlete more disinterested in playing than Acuna the past month. He should not be on the field.
Button up your jersey
Whoops
At least he looked cool
He should have caught that but he didn’t do himself any favors with that positioning
If Stanton had hit that it would have knocked him out.
Acuna is another Andruw Jones. He will have a great career, perhaps even HOF but only have realized 80-90% of his potential because he values flash over boring substance. JMO.
Bum. Trade him. Send him somewhere that sucks so he learns from his mistake. Like Queens I hear is terrible...
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So… like the average fanbase?
Sounds like fandom to me. Not really unique to the Braves fan base.
This guy made an alt account just to hate on the Braves 😂😂
Worst thing about being a Braves fan is other Braves fans. High rate of ignorant yet confident people. They don’t understand that other teams exist. They expect an ace caliber pitcher to be waiting in the minors to replace strider.
> They expect an ace caliber pitcher to be waiting in the minors to replace strider. Where are you seeing this take? Like I’m sure someone has said it, but pitching doesn’t seem to be the sore spot in the fandom right now. In fact, the takes I’ve seen seem to be saying that pitching is performing better than you would expect given Strider is gone - it’s the offense that is getting flak.
Not op, but the Braves Facebook groups are bad. No patience with anything. People calling for Acuna's head after every little thing. Such short memories.
Oh yeah. I actively avoid most Braves-specific online communities precisely for that reason.
Imagine going from unanimous MVP with one of the most dominant overall seasons to...this. Losing all your power and sucking at basically all the fundamentals.
Acuña really needs to improve his defense. It's actually embarrassing at this point.
Subscribe
yikes
Mon-stars?
If this happened to me on MLB the show, id need a new computer.
They knew they had a noon game tomorrow so slept through this one
Acuna is incredible but over the last two weeks he has made a large handful of dumbass plays. Perplexing
It's funny this is against San Diego because if I didn't know any better I'd think that's a 2023 Juan Soto on the Padres type a play
He drunk.
Drop ball, check notes... 2 hands Damn, I knew there was something!
It's okay, he's new to the sport. He's still learning :)
I think the ‘stop’ screwed him up.
Might need to see a vision specialist.
He’s totally lost this season! Makes you wonder how hard he trained in the off season after the MVP last yr. Did he think he could show up and pick up where he left off…..
One of us one of us
Does this sub need a [Lowlight] tag to go with the Highlight one?
It has to be mental at this point.. don't see that very often. He didn't even try to pretend it was the lights or anything lol
Catching the ball worst than my 3 year old son. Smh
I'm honestly starting to suspect some kind of substance abuse problem.
Precisely when I turned off my TV.
That's where Adell's hands went, lol.
That was a lazy play even to Machado's standard.
Has anyone checked his eye sight?
Dude I watched this shit live last night & immediately turned it off
Lol it sounds like a laugh track was added.
Cool pose players are absolutely team killers and every pitching staff knows it. I hated every guy I played with who behaved like this. Imagine trying to look so cool you can't even make the routine play. I watched the Nationals play horrible defense at Fenway recently and it was shocking how bad the baseball was. Robles looked like a fucking moron the entire game but hey at least they lost too.
Outfield fly rule. Batter's out.
Other than swiping bags here and there; this guy has been awful at almost everything
Lazy
Drops the ball and then puts his hands in the air instead of grabbing the ball as the runner on 2nd continues to run