Everything to Know About Ronald Acuna Jr.’s Baseball Family, the Secret Behind His MLB Dream

Atlanta Braves superstar player Ronald Acuna Jr. had created history this season. Prior to 2011 season, he was considered the no.1 among top 100 prospects by ESPN’s Keith Law. The 2023 MLB season proved it once again, becoming the first player in MLB history with 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a single season. This has cemented his name with two other MLB legends- Barry Bonds and Eric Davis. That’s not all. Acuna Jr. surpassed these two iconic ball players with his stolen bases record. The road was tough for sure, but Ronald’s career choice was not challenging as one may expect.

Acuna Jr. is probably destined to be a baseball player. The MLB world has seen several players who have baseball backgrounds in the family, but none has it as strong as Ronald’s. Ronald has several family members, including his father and cousins, as ballplayers. So, it was probably not hard for the player to choose his baseball career. However, Acuna Jr.’s background goes beyond this.

A Rich Baseball Family Background

The Acuna and Escober families are renowned in the MLB world. The entire Venezuela and the United States know that these two families have produced talented baseball stars throughout the generations. Presently, the MLB world is witnessing the valor of Ronald Acuna Jr., but his father also used to be a part of the baseball world.

Ronald Acuna Sr. was mainly a part of the New York Mets and played in the minors for eight seasons from 1999 to 2006. However, he didn’t enter the MLB. The Escobar lineage is also connected to Acuna Jr., another family with a great baseball background. This one has players like Kelvim, Alcides, Edwin, and Jose.

Kelvim Escobar had a 12-year-long baseball career and played for the major leagues. Though he started his career in 1997 with the Toronto Blue Jays, he ended his career with the Los Angeles Angels in 2009. Throughout his entire career, the player had 101 game wins; unfortunately, he missed the World Series.

But the Escobar family still has the proud moment of winning the World Series. Alcides Escober, the 36-year-old shortstop, had the honor to win the most outstanding trophy of the series. His MLB debut was with the Milwaukee Brewers, but he won the World Series with the Kansas City Royals in 2015.

Even his younger brother, Luisangel Acuna, is also connected to baseball. Though he has yet to come to MLB, he signed with the Texas Rangers for $425,000 for the Dominican Summer League. With several baseball players in the family, it is natural that Ronald Acuna Jr. developed his interest in the sport.

Ronald Acuna Jr.’s Baseball Interest Development

Children learn from their families. That’s what happened with young Ronald. As a kid, he used to see his father and Escober cousins to play baseball. As a five-year-old kid, he used to visit the baseball grounds with his cousins or his father, that, per Acuna Sr., worked for his son, and he developed his passion for the game.

The kid used to be closely attached to his cousins- Kelvim and Alcides. Like most others, they also had their parts to play in the Venezuelan Winter League. The child, Acuna Jr., used to tag along with his cousins and watch them from the dugouts. As his father stated, “He watched them on television and wanted to be like them.”

His cousins also played a good part in developing his passion for baseball. During the mid-2000s, he visited the Yankee stadium with Kelvim. It was that time when he witnessed how it seemed to feel to be a major league player. This feeling increased his wish to be a baseball player and join MLB. At least, that’s what his father assumed. However, little Ronald learned the most critical lessons from his father. ‘Run hard. Play hard. Never quit. Always give your best.’ These are probably the most effective suggestions a father can provide to his son.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Admits His Father’s Role

Fathers are one of the first idols of their children that they look up to and want to follow. That’s the same with Atlanta Braves 25-year-old outfielder. Watching his father playing baseball drew him towards the game. During his interview with ESPN, he claimed that his cousins had impacts on him, but none surpassed his father.

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Without any hesitation, the Braves’ outfielder said, “My dad was my main motivation, as I got to see him play. I would see him play every day in Venezuela, and I once had the opportunity to come here, and I saw him play in Double-A in 2005 with the Fisher Cats. That really was one of my main motivations as to why I am here today, thank God. He inspired me a lot. He taught me a lot of things about baseball that I didn’t know. You learn new things in baseball every day. He really was a great mentor for me.”

Though the Braves outfielder has a prosperous baseball family, he has surpassed them all with his performance throughout these years to become the most successful player of his family.

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