Luisangel Acuña experienced quite a few peaks and valleys in the 2024 campaign with the New York Mets. Spending most of the season in Triple-A Syracuse, he left a somewhat disappointing image by hitting .258/.299/.355 with a 69 wRC+ in 587 trips to the plate. The team can’t and won’t give up on a 22-year-old top prospect after a down season in Triple-A, though.
Luisangel Acuña is turning heads in the Venezuelan Winter League
In fact, Acuña was called up in September and actually helped the Mets when they needed him the most, right when star shortstop Francisco Lindor went down with a back problem. After hitting .308/.325/.641 in 40 trips to the plate in MLB, with three round-trippers, he entered the offseason on a high note.
He has been playing winter league ball in Venezuela and has been marvelous, setting up a huge spring for him and showing the world his offensive upside goes well beyond what he did in Triple-A this season.
“Mets breakout prospect, Luisangel Acuña, is turning heads in the Venezuelan Winter League”: .337 AVG- .914 OPS- 3 HR- 17 RBI- 18 SB- Playing 2B, SS and CF,” MLB’s official X account posted.
Not only Acuña is excelling with the bat, but he is also showcasing some impressive defensive versatility by playing the three up-the-middle positions.
The Mets want Acuña to keep growing as a hitter
Entering 2025, the Mets need Acuña to perform closer to the version he showed in MLB and in Venezuela over the winter rather than his Triple-A self. If he manages to do that, he will create multiple avenues for playing time for himself.
He needs to show he can get on base more, though. With a 5.5 percent walk rate in Triple-A and a 2.5 percent mark in the majors, he posted disappointing numbers in that specific department. Getting that OBP up would allow that game-changing speed (40 steals in Syracuse) to play up.
The Mets have a good one in Acuña. If he keeps growing, there is a chance he wins some playing time over Jeff McNeil at second and some in center field, too. For now, it’s worth pointing out what he’s doing in Venezuela. The Mets are keeping a close eye on him, as are other teams that might see him as a potential trade piece.
