QUEENS, NY — Things could have taken a downturn for Luisangel Acuna on Tuesday night, which seemed like a microcosm of the season he had been having.
Appearing in just his fourth career big-league game with the New York Mets, the 22-year-old shortstop filling in for the injured Francisco Lindor missed a throw at second base from Mark Vientos which would have started a 5-4-3 double play in the third inning against the Washington Nationals.
Instead, the visitors’ had runners on first and third with no outs, which directly led to the the game’s opening run and a 1-0 Mets deficit, whih heaped a bit more pressure on a team that had scored just three runs in their last two games while trying to hold on to the No. 3 and final Wild Card postseason berth. The play also added another unwanted highlight in a season that has featured significant struggles at the Triple-A level.
Ranked the No. 12 prospect in the organization, Acuna had a .694 OPS with Syracuse — his worst offensive production in pro ball.
“When players struggle in the minor leagues you find out a lot about them,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I’m going to go back to the conversation throughout the year with Dick Scott, our manager in Triple-A. It was one of the things he always said. Hey, this guy is going through it but he always wants to be in the lineup. He brings energy every day. It doesn’t matter if he’s 0-for-20 or 10-for-20, you’re going to get the same level every day. For a 22-year-old in Triple-A, that’s a really good sign.”
True to form, Acuna bounced back in the bottom half of the third with an RBI double to tie the game. Not only was it his first big-league RBI, but it was also his first extra-base hit.
“You learn a lot when they go through those stretches and today was a perfect example,” Mendoza said. “It’s the next at-bat, the next play, and he showed that today.”
Acuna went 3-for-4 in the Mets’ 10-1 win, driving in two, scoring three runs, and hitting his first-career home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
“It’s a good sign. It tells us a lot,” Mendoza said. “He’s calm, poised — he just looks like he belongs in the big leagues…
“This is a kid that looks pretty mature. It doesn’t matter the situation, he’s just playing his game and that’s good to see.”
Acuna was not going to disagree with those sentiments.
“I think this is something that I earned,” he said. “What [Mendoza] says isn’t a lie.”
Speed and defensive versatility were what got Acuna onto the big-league roster with a couple week remaining in the regular season. His bat, however, appears as though it could sustain consistent production at the top level.
“I was working hard, I was doing everything I needed to do in Triple-A,” Acuna said. “To be able to come up here to the big-league team, I’m just here to help out anyway that I can whether that be my defense or my base running or my hitting.”
He possesses an aggressive approach with a swing eerily similar swing to his brother’s, Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. Both are right-handed, both possess a prominent leg kick, and both have long, powerful follow-throughs.
“That confidence comes from my brother,” Acuna said. “Sometimes I”ll ask him ‘Hey, what’s it like in the big leagues?’ A lot of those conversations come from him, that comfort, but a lot of it also comes from the practice and all the work that we put in.”
As luck would have it, Luisangel’s Mets are trying to hold off Ronald’s Braves for a National League Wild Card spot — and the two clubs meet for a vital three-game set down in Atlanta next week, though Ronald has been sidelined since May with a torn ACL.
“He just told me that he was going to be there when we play them in Atlanta and just to make sure that I’m there so we can switch jerseys,” Luisangel Acuna said.
As long as Lindor is sidelined with that lower-back issue, the shortstop job will more often than not be Acuna’s down the stretch. It is a considerable responsibility for a young player in the infancy of his big-league career, but he has already shown his Mets teammates a lot in less than a week.
“He’s jelled super quick. He’s been a compete pro so far and he’s been outstanding,” slugger Pete Alonso said. “I know it’s only been a few games, but I’m really impressed with how he’s going about his business. The play on the field speaks for itself… he’s a true pro so far and it’s awesome to see.”
For more on Luisangel Acuna and the Mets, visit AMNY.com
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