NEW YORK — The reminder stays on Luisangel Acuña’s bat, just under the place his identify seems, handwritten in black marker.
Much less is extra.
These phrases wound up on Acuña’s bat a few weeks in the past, earlier than the New York Mets known as him up from Triple A, earlier than he started competently filling in for injured star shortstop Francisco Lindor throughout a playoff push.
The message helps Acuña loosen up. He’s 22 years outdated. He’s one of many membership’s high prospects. The Mets acquired him final 12 months in a commerce with the Texas Rangers for Max Scherzer, a future Corridor of Famer. His older brother is Ronald Acuña Jr., the Atlanta Braves star outfielder, the Nationwide League’s reigning MVP. The youthful Acuña badly desires to be good. In Triple A, his coaches and rival scouts discovered him responsible of making an attempt too exhausting.
That’s why Triple-A Syracuse bench coach JP Arencibia wrote these phrases on Acuña’s bat, to refresh his reminiscence earlier than each plate look about all the pieces they’ve labored on.
“That’s what has ended up serving to me,” Acuña stated by interpreter Alan Suriel throughout a latest interview. “I’m able to maintain that in thoughts, and breathe.”
With a couple of mechanical modifications and work with a psychological efficiency coach, Luisangel Acuña discovered his consolation zone. (Dustin Satloff / Getty Photos)
A few vital changes accelerated Acuña’s readiness for the foremost leagues. They assist clarify how he produced an unremarkable .654 OPS with seven house runs in 131 video games at Syracuse and promptly went gangbusters his first week within the majors. By Thursday, Acuña turned the primary Mets participant ever to report a single, double, triple and residential run in his first 5 video games with an at-bat.
Most just lately, Acuña rid himself of some anxiousness by his work with Arencibia and one of many Mets’ psychological efficiency coaches.
However first got here mechanical enhancements inside his swing and pre-pitch bat positioning on the plate.
Acuña doesn’t get mistaken for his brother, who stands a couple of inches taller and carries a pair dozen extra kilos of muscle. However Acuña’s stance, he stated, has at all times resembled his brother’s if not fully mimicked. Palms low. Bat vertical. It labored simply effective for him — till he slumped a couple of weeks into the Triple-A season.
Acuña’s groundball charge elevated whereas his high quality of contact decreased. He tended to crash ahead, typically lunging at balls and chopping down on them. Arencibia, a former major-league catcher who’s bilingual, advised Acuña, “Let’s see your fingers a little bit increased up and your bat a bit farther again. Let’s see how you’re feeling.”
Issues began to click on.
“Once I began training swinging like that,” Acuña stated, “I began to really feel snug.”
Acuña’s stance and swing nonetheless evoke comparisons to his brother, however the brand new variations matter a lot. Acuña now holds his bat extra horizontally, along with his fingers increased. The change permits Acuña to get his bat by the strike zone earlier, resulting in a greater high quality of contact and a capability to elevate the ball with energy.
After fixing Acuña’s bat angle, Arencibia additionally helped deal with Acuña’s drawback with overstriding. With mechanical points addressed, the outcomes began to enhance. From April 23 to the top of June, Acuña slashed .286/.341/.399 with 4 house runs. After that interval, nevertheless, Acuña once more struggled, this time for various causes.
“I might see the sport pace up on him at instances,” Arencibia stated.
Rival scouts love Acuña. He works exhausting, they are saying. However on the top of his struggles, observers observed a sample: If Acuña, who hardly ever walks, didn’t report a success in his first at-bat, he’d spend his subsequent plate appearances visibly anxious, desirous to make one thing occur. Notably, he’d chase extra. When down within the rely, the issue solely worsened.
“If I used to be in an 0-2 rely,” Acuña stated, “I used to at all times leap ahead and was a little bit bit too aggressive.”
Late within the Triple-A season, Acuña began working with Maria Bogaert, one of many Mets’ minor-league psychological efficiency coaches. Whereas on video calls with Bogaert and Arencibia, Acuña discovered extra in regards to the relationships between arousal, effort and efficiency. As an example, being too amped up, making an attempt too exhausting to drive a consequence can generally prove counterproductive. The perfect steadiness requires discovering a candy spot.
A ritual adopted.
In subsequent batting follow classes, Arencibia would ask Acuña for a self-assessment of his effort degree after swings. Arencibia would say, “From one to 10, what quantity are you on?” Sometimes, after balls hit foul, Acuña stated he discovered himself utilizing most effort. On booming liners to the outfield gaps, he’d inform Arencibia a decrease quantity: Siete.
Seven. Lower than 10. Seven was good. Seven was higher. Inside Syracuse’s dugout forward of each first pitch, Arencibia instructed Acuña, “Siete.” The routine didn’t final lengthy; quickly after, the Mets known as up Acuña.
Acuña’s first six video games with the Mets have featured a number of highlights. Twice, he has recorded a success after falling 0-2 within the rely with a type of hits a house run. After starting Thursday hitless by his first three at-bats of that day’s recreation, he hit a triple. By means of 19 plate appearances, Acuña is 8-for-19.
Earlier than Acuña arrived within the main leagues, Arencibia texted Mets supervisor Carlos Mendoza: “Be sure you inform him, ‘Siete.’ It should make a distinction coming from you.”
Much less has led to extra.
(High photograph of Luisangel Acuña: Dustin Satloff / Getty Photos)
