ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuña Jr. displayed another of his superhero powers when he provided his best Usain Bolt imitation while sparking the Braves’ three-run first inning in their 7-6 loss to the Phillies on Sunday night at Truist Park.
Acuña grounded Matt Moore’s first-pitch fastball toward Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius and was rewarded with an infield single after traveling 31 feet per second and beating the throw.
Average speed for an MLB player is 27 feet per second and 30 feet per second is considered elite. Acuña entered Sunday ranked third in MLB with an average sprint speed of 29.2 feet per second.
“I know he hustles hard all the time, so actually I got the grounder cleanly, I took one step and threw to first, perfect throw and everything, and he beat it out, even though he hit the ball hard,” Gregorius said. “So that means I need to get better, basically.”
We can also use MLB's FieldVision to follow Acuña in his sprint down the line, and even see the play unfold from Gregorius' perspective as Acuña's elite speed took him by surprise.
FieldVision is a new technology that gives fans access to angles of highlight-reel plays they could never see before, tracking every play in 3D from beginning to end.
Acuña's infield hit is something special to watch. It's not even like Gregorius dogged it on his throw, which was clocked at 88.4 mph -- his fastest tracked throw on a ground ball since 2016. Acuña was just that fast.
“I mean, this kid had some kind of weekend and has had some kind of start from all ends,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s shown you all the five tools since we've started play. The scary part is he's going to go continue to get better. It’s pretty special what he’s been doing.”
Acuña’s spark proved valuable when Ozzie Albies stepped to the plate and hit Moore’s next pitch over the right-center-field wall.