Ronald Acuna Jr is Changing The Way MLB Looks At Hustle Forever
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- čas přidán 21. 03. 2024
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Keywords: MLB, baseball, Dodgers, Giants, Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Phillies, Rangers, Astros, Pirates, Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz, Major League Baseball, Yordan Alvarez, Aaron Judge, Yankees, Ichiro Suzuki, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Red Sox, Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr - Sport
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Bro looks like Troy Terry
Acuña loves playing baseball, that's all I know and need to know. That man dreams baseball when he sleeps.
And his best friend Ozzie Albies loves playing baseball. Having both on one team is almost unfair.
Selective hustle is the same principle that oldschool baseball valued in starting pitchers - not throwing 100mph every pitch so that you can stay in the game longer and avoid career ending injuries.
Although, there were also plenty of pitching overuse issues nonetheless, "keep some in the tank" is for whatever reason considered more appropriate for pitchers than everyday players even though it is probably a valuable consideration for both.
Yeah, but the issue there is that velocity does not equal effectiveness. It makes no difference is the pitch is 79 mph or 104, if it's an effective pitch. There's almost no situation as a base runner in which you should be ok with only getting getting to 1st when you could have gotten to 2nd.
@@piccol79 thats just a lie, if both are placed where the pitcher wanted it the 104 mph is always gonna beat the 79 mph
i dunno if i agree with this. 99% of players don't hustle all the time and pretty much everyone knows it and is fine with it. The problem is when it's blatant and causes problems. When you blast a ball in the gap and just jog to first instead of getting a double or hit a ground ball to the 6 hole and the fielder bobbles the ball and still has plenty of time to gun you out because you didn't even leave the box yet, that's when people get mad. And i think that's justified. It's not like baseball is a particularly tough game to play physically lol
@@adidab14 ppl will get mad if you come out and say you aren't gonna go 100% on every play, even if they don't bat an eye when it actually happens because it was situationally appropriate. In part, I think what protects pitchers in this is that it is harder to tell from the outside. We tend to think of high velo pitches as "extra" rather than the default whereas running hard to first is more of a default.
Some of the examples in the video don't track super well because jumping into a wall or diving is usually also considered exceptional, so it isn't as expected, but it should be considered reasonable not to sprint out on an easy pop out with the bases empty in a noncompetative game, though it isn't always.
Making that 79mph pitch as “effective”as the 100+mph one means putting the same amount of force into the pitch to create spin
The same people complaining that players don’t hustle are the same ones who get mad if a player breaks an “unwritten rule”
I mean, I feel like not running to first because you're assuming a homerun is just bad? Also, if you're up 8-0, steal all the bases you can. You're gonna look real stupid when you lose 8-9, so just try?
They're called unwritten rules because most of them fall under the aegis of common sense or decency and should be learned well before a debut. This applies to sportsmanship in general. Baseball is a zero-sum game, often your success comes at someone else's expense, literally. The least anyone can do is respect their opponent enough to wait until its appropriate to celebrate. The same applies to hustle. If you don't hustle, you're disrespecting your opponents and your teammates.
This is an EXCELLENT video. I hope more teams start taking this approach when coaching their players. It may mean less highlight reel catches, but if it keeps players on the field and having longer, healthier careers, it's so worth it.
Yeah, I mean, I really tune in to watch overpaid, arrogant buffoons slowly jog to first base. It's so exciting! More of that, MLB!
I remember something like this about Ichiro, one of the most durable ironmen in the game. He was always considered a speedy hustle player, but I NEVER saw him dive for the ball or into a wall, or slide head first into a base in his entire career. He only ever made legs first slides, both on the bases and in the outfield.
but you know bottom of the 9th WS game hes gonna do what ever it takes, give Acuna a few more years and hopefully ppl will come to see this aswell.
Genuinely an amazing video on Acuna. Happy someone is finally defending Ronald’s defense. Good vid bro 🙏
I need Acuna healthy for 10 more years or more. Brave for life. As long as he works his ass off in the playoffs.
Byron Buxton needs to adopt this philosophy
11:36 , the newspaper did Davis dirty.
They hadn’t unlocked him yet
Finally someone who understands the benefits of not going full blast 24/7.
How about going "full blast" when you hit the ball and are running to first base, then? Or is $100,000 per game not enough? Let's see, that probably amounts to like $25,000 per at-bat. Nah, I guess $25k isn't enough to run hard for 90 feet.
@@blahblah49000 he thought it was out, young as hell too, of course it was a bad decision, but get off his ass
@@blahblah49000 cry about it boomer
@@blahblah49000 Young bucks man, leave 'em...lol.
@@blahblah49000It ain’t 1896 anymore man. These top tier players are big business. They’ve got half BILLION $ deals now!!
Thus, Star players ripping knees while running out routine ground balls is to be avoided, not celebrated I’m talking about protecting ownerships massive investment from needless injury. I realize it’s not ur money so u don’t give a f--, but obviously gns and owners do.
Acuna played all 162 games then heads home and plays winter ball, If that's not hustle I don't know what is. The Braves have just coached him not to be crazy with it. I wish the Mariners would've done the same with Griffey in the 90s.
I witnessed a car accident as a pedestrian today
Did you survive
Real
@@shyningfather yes
Im sorry to hear that
Same i witnessed one a couple months ago
As a Braves fan, i'd rather Ronald not steal as much this year. Maybe dial it back to the 50s. I just don't want him risking injury. He already had a scare in spring training this year for a rundown between the bases.
I'm with you here. He already made history.
I want to see him steal even more. With his speed, larger bases and on base percentage, he could get 100. And I don't think stealing is all that dangerous. I am with you on rundowns though. One of the few criticisms I have of his game is he's not the smartest of baserunners. He gets picked off, thrown out, out of position way too often which leads to a lot of rundowns and that very much is dangerous for him.
As a phillies fan I hate how much I like watching that guy play baseball. Such a good player whose fun to watch.
Oh my goodness, he was in a rundown? The poor thing! So risky! So much jogging back and forth! Someone give him another million dollars!
@@blahblah49000 cry more boomer
Here's the thing - there's a difference between hustling and stressing.
Running to first base on what looks like a routine grounder is hustle. You're not putting a ton of strain on your body doing that. Diving for a fly ball when you're up 7-1 at the top of the 8th inning? You're just putting unnecessary stress on your body and risking injury.
Just like outside of baseball - you want to work hard and put in a good effort. But stress kills. You have to take breaks here and there and refresh.
I watched Acuña Jr do exactly that from 2018-2021 and especially in 2019 when he was chasing the 40-40 mark, it was running out those routine plays that hurt him. I've seen him beat out absurd routine plays because he's an absolute freak but he'd miss 2 or 3 games each time he did it with something tweaked or pulled and the staff was "being cautious". It all comes back to the argument of "is it worth it" and I say no, it isn't. I got a little frustrated a couple of times in '23 when I KNEW he could have beat something out, especially where they made an error and he was still out... But I seriously think that the season would have been pretty different if he played like he used to.
So you want him running hard on a rountine ball to second in the first inning of game 10 in the season?
Breaks? We're talking about baseball here. 95% of the game time is taking a break. How much more do they need to be paid to actually hustle for the 5% of the time they're moving?
@@jmu76featuring61 Uh...yes? What the heck kind of parallel universe are we living in where these nearly billionaire athletes are babied so much that we don't even expect them to run hard in a straight line for 30 yards? If they are that fragile then they aren't very athletic.
@@blahblah49000 Billionaire is a stretch, the only one who can say that is MAYBE Ohtani, and his contract is deferred so much that he'll only get 680 million two decades from now.
Furthermore, if you get injured, you don't get paid nearly as much next time you need to sign a contract
And if a player gets injured, similarly, a franchise has now wasted some of its money to NOT get the productivity.
There's incentive on both sides to pull back a little to better ensure health and availability (Acuña Jr proved that mindset)
Lastly, a lot of athletes get injured these days because of how the game has progressed... Like players being much faster and stronger than they used to be, or pitchers throwing more velo and spin than ever before AND more often... We're pushing the limits of human bodies by so much that when they go all out 110% effort, there's a big risk of getting hurt.
There's a difference between hussle and throwing caution to the wind! This is why I will never draft Jazz in fantasy again. The worst thing for his career was moving him to O.F..... with all those damn Walls!!! He goes back to 2b, I'm all in!
Smart hustle is great hustle!
For a player who has the best throwing arm in baseball the most steals in baseball, while also being one of the best hitters is in baseball makes him already a god tier player. If he still had the ability to make diving plays in the outfielder he would easily be the best player in baseball. Shohei has two arguably three different skills at top tier level. If Acuña can clutch up and reclaim what he once had as a defensive God he would become a player better than Shohei was and ever will be.
Thank you cut for all the amazing videos, you have inspired me to make my own definitely earned a sub ❤️
Phenomenal video, it does suck that he won't go harder more often, but to preserve his incredible career? We'll take that everytime
Ghey.
What a great video, man. It drives me nuts to hear people talk about how Acuña doesn’t hustle or care. He’s just smart. I’d rather see him miss the occasional catch and still put on the shows he does than watch him make a 3rd inning diving catch up 6 and never play again.
An elite bat is worth way more to a slugging team like the Braves than an elite outfield performance, and Acuna's bat is as elite as they come.
Acuña's God-tier athleticism necessitates he reel it in to avoid injury. Joints, tendons, and ligaments can't withstand the enormous torque that Ronald's otherworldly speed and strength exert upon them. Young Griffey (an excellent comp) hustled his ass off- and resulting injuries probably cost him the all time HR record. Ronald is 6', 205 lbs. yet he hits the ball as hard and far as 6'7", 285 lb. Judge and Stanton (czcams.com/users/shortspXS3nqeDXA0),. A stunning testament to Ronald's insane power and the resulting potential stress on his connective tissue. So yeah, Ronald should dial it down to 95% on most plays. He can always ignite the afterburners as needed. All the same, Acuña's love for the game is always evident as baseball's premiere talent plays with the unbridled enthusiasm of a kid on the playground-- us fans are blessed to witness this godsend.
95% would be fine. Tip-toeing it to first base instead of getting an easy double isn't 95%.
@@blahblah49000 Yeah, that wasn't good- but firstly, that was years ago now- in his second year. He addressed that very play recently and still carries shame and embarrassment over it- he's owning it. No excuse for that play- but to somehow imply that Ronald isn't a hustle player just because of that is just flat wrong. Nobody on the Braves plays harder than that kid. There's only one current major leaguer that any GM wouldn't trade for Ronald in about 7 seconds. And I bet even with him, they'd consider it- given al the question marks regarding his return to pitching.
He's the most fun player to watch nowadays. There's never anything I don't feel Acuna is capable of doing something.
Great video. Your content is very solid. Keep it up.
FANTASTIC video! Excellent point of view that NEEDED to be stated.
Great segment. In the 90's I saw Bonds and Griffey Jr. as both were attaining gold gloves pretty much every year. Bonds of course would get you around 30 stolen bases each year but he didn't play the outfield with reckless abandon like Griffey Jr. It really hurt us fans in the 1995 season when he broke his wrist. Griffey was averaging over 40 hrs and that year he missed most of the season. Because of his injuries, Griffeys all time stats didn't end up be near the top of the all time list. Meanwhile Bonds played with the selective hustle. Also he would also get those long singles at Candlestick because the wind would knock the ball down, thinking he hit a home run. Dusty Baker wouldn't bench him, but I bet Jim Leyland would have.
MTC- I got to watch Carlsson in person this week and he's going to be awesome!!!!!!
Loved the video...When I first heard of him, I was so excited...Another Andruw Jones, but BETTER! I didn't think that was possible, until he got to the show...So happy he's on our team and I can watch him hopefully in a Braves uniform for the rest of his career...Maybe if the Mets make a mistake, his brother may end up with him!😂
Thought provoking. Reminds me of CFB Seniors skipping bowl games.
Hispanic players as a whole have a different way of playing baseball and doing things. They love to show off and sometime it bites them in the ass but with Acuna the only people that have had a problem with how he plays are fans of the other teams. Braves fans watch him everyday and know what a competitor he is. When you're a generational talent like him he has proven day in and day out there is nothing he can't do on a baseball field so his go to move isn't worrying if he hit that ball enough, it's it's he knows he did and sometimes different variables alter what he thought the result was. But even with the loudest haters I guarantee you there is a fan of another team on this planet that wouldn't love to have him on their team. People get mad about a lost base on a likely double but forget the massive number of extra bases he grabbed with all of his steals. The guy is 6 ft and weighs all of 185 lbs yet hits the ball as hard as anyone. The only guys routinely hitting it harder are the 2 giants in New York. Last year he had more batted balls of 95mph+ than 20 teams had total! That was while stealing 73 bags to lead the league also. People aren't supposed to be tops in both power and speed but...that's Acuna! The thing is Pete Rose had to hustle, that is what he brought to the table because he wasn't a naturally great athlete. He wasn't born with the talent Acuna was not to mention it's a different world now and a different game. Anyone that doesn't think Acuna takes it seriously or doesn't care clearly doesn't have all the facts. Most players even close to his caliber spend their off season resting. Not him, he's the reigning MVP and had one of the very best offensive seasons the sport has ever seen yet he goes and plays winter ball each year.
If he were a selfish player who doesn't care or hustle we wouldn't have seen what we did in 2022. Coming back from the ACL all season he didn't look right. He didn't look like his old self as he was still clearly recovering. He could have been a idiva and slacked off on the rest of his game as his normal prodigious power seemed to have left him but he didn't he took his singles and he ran his ass off on the bases racking up steals to help. His straight line speed is back and he's confident with it. It's mainly in the field you can steal see him gingerly come to stops or turn. Luckily as that has lessened his defensive ability slightly he still has a cannon for a right arm and single-handedly controls other teams taking that extra base (although now the Braves also have another guy with a cannon nearly as good in center to help in michael Harris (jr.). Sorry I refuse to say Harris II as there is no such thing.
Thank you for pointing this out. I see several people criticizing his defense, but I know it’s the Braves higher ups telling him not to go all out like he used to.
He will keep breaking records. Wish the MLB had players who love the game like he does. He loves his job. I've never seen someone hit with so many baseballs, and still control himself. If I was getting hit like he was against the marlins, I would have walked up to the plate next time with a sword instead of a bat.
I agree mostly. The only thing is that it’s one thing to avoid diving for as many balls to save yourself from possible injury, however it’s a completely different thing to pull up on fly balls that would be routine with just a little burst of speed, and that’s what I’ve seen Acuña do a LOT. It’s no question that in the offensive side of things he balls out. But when it comes to defense he gives very little effort and it’s noticeable and it hurts the team. Like I said, its fine to avoid diving for every ball to avoid injury, but i don’t think it’s asking too much for him to get to a fly ball that you wouldn’t even have to dive for if you just gave it a little more effort. That’s where his connotation of being lazy comes from. You can have a lethal bat and still be lazy on defense. You also don’t have to put out max effort to play good defense. Just a little more. The least he could do is be an average defender and at this rate he’s definitely not
Braves fan here...i like Acuna but give me Nelly De La Cruz!
@@tima.478 Lmao you’re stupid then. Trading an MVP with all-time offense for a dude who’s never gonna bat more than .240. Congrats, you got yourself a taller, blacker Kyle Schwarber who can steal some bags for the 30% of the time he actually gets on.
Basically... Acuna is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't. Before 2021, it was all about how "he doesn't hustle enough..." Well, damn if he didn't hustle his way to blowing out his ACL. Beating out routine ground balls, turning weak singles into doubles, catching up to balls in the air no one thought he would get to. Then he comes back, and suddenly those same people complaining about him not hustling, are now telling him he needs to pick and choose when to go all out.
As a fan, I say keep doing what you doing young man. Always gonna be people not happy with what ever it is you do.
Yep, I’m a Braves guy and it’s very evident that there’s a backwoods contingent to our fanbase whose criticisms always revolve around “baseball IQ and laziness” whenever Acuña concedes on an obvious out. The irony is that they can’t see that Ronald has been given a directive and they’ve never competed themselves. When he came out of the game during the rundown, I read some people questioning his intelligence but they were probably the same ones calling him lazy in the past.
Manny machado used to hustle before his 2nd knee injury in back to back years.
Great video essay!
I was at the game where Acuna hit a ball 121.3 mph it was so loud
Great video. Thx
Acuña reminds me of, dare I say it, Roberto Clemente. He’s got the arm, the pop, the hitting, that excitement factor. I don’t know if he’ll ever reach the milestones Clemente got to, but that’s the kind of talent he has in him. If he stays this way we’re talking about a first ballot HOF’er easily.
Probably the best evaluation of Acuña that I’ve seen from anyone else. His first couple years he did look bad at times, but that injury might have been the best thing that could’ve happened to him. Humbled by seeing his team win the WS without him, and having to mature and build confidence in 2022 when he obviously didn’t trust his own legs under him. You can follow stats all you want, but you can’t watch him and say he isn’t the best player in the league right now. The guy literally just decided he wasn’t going to strike out anymore last year. Who does that?
This is why I always pushback against that “lazy but talented” tag they tried to put on Acuña. There are other reasons for it (you addressed it though).The game he first thought he had the HR is interesting because Acuña produced in that game and had the Braves up by 2 or 3 runs before the pen gave up the lead in the 9th inning. That was very unfair because he atoned for the mistake in that game by putting the team up 2. Now that some fans can’t call him lazy because he plays hard, they’re trying to say that he being dumb for going all out. I see it all of the time in Braves comment sections. It was bad when he went down with the injury the year we won the WS. Some fans wanted to trade him but Freddie Freeman cleared it up and stated what I always said, Acuña’s high level of play kept the Braves in position to make the run. Excellent video.
The same people who say he doesn't hustle would label him "injury prone" if he did every single play
Pete was also on greenies
He and buxton both have this problem. Talented outfielders ready to risk it all for an out but that comes with so much risk especially when they themselves are the engines of their team. Tough predicament to be in but man they can put on a defensive clinic when they have to
The thing about Acuna's defense is that he's never had a good jump. Maybe if he were to improve his reaction time that could be the difference between giving up on low percentage diving plays to make a relatively stress free running catch.
Man this was a great video bro
I still remember when brian kenny did a breakdown about cano not hustling and it only costed 2 hits all season
Great analysis.
I’ve seen certain “Braves fans” scold Acuña online for not running out a routine ground ball right to an infielder. They say he doesn’t hustle and he’s lazy. That’s when I knew those “fans” might be Ai generated trolls. Acuña has the most hustle in the league in my opinion.
Absolutely. You don't steal 70 bases and win MVP without hustle.
They aren’t AI generated trolls. Atlanta is the team that much of the South roots for. That means you’ll have some super backwoodsy folks giving an opinion through their lens. After the Bravos won the WS, that contingency wanted to trade Acuña because they don’t like the guy. It took four players to match that production Acuña brought. It got so ridiculous, that I heard the “lazy” narrative from a guy asking why Ronald doesn’t approach the game like Swanson. Someone replied that Swanson was the more “highly touted” player than Acuña but Ronald is the better player, no question. How does one surpass someone ranked higher than you if you’re lazy? Freddie Freeman was on Mookie’s podcast and actually acknowledged that they wouldn’t be in meaningful position if Ronald didn’t play at a high level before the injury (Ozzie, Freddie, Swanson were all in slumps and Riley was hot/cold).
@@jeremiah_12 I love Dansby and he definitely hustles but Ronald does just as much. But you gotta love the talent they all display. It’s pretty great.
One of the Uptons didn’t hustle, got chewed out, and spent the rest of his career hustling to the DL
Well they also didn’t tear their ACL
BJ also, never was half the player that Ronald is. BJ also would just jog to balls in the outfield, Acuna may play it more cautious but you never see him just jogging. czcams.com/video/w5_LKajePjI/video.html
Selective hustle... aka, hustle without wrecklessness.
As a Braves fan, Acuna is kinda frustrating to watch at times. The guy clearly loves the game, and is a beast. I don't expect any player these days to go full speed every game of the season. It's just not realistic to expect. That said, once playoffs come around, you should WANT to full send every game. That's when i get bothered about a lack of hustle. I do think he's matured a lot the last couple of years, though, and it's good to see. We're in an exciting era of baseball where players don't have to act like robots, and are actually entertaining to watch. During the season, have fun, but come playoffs, you go full speed. The fun comes after.
Great video
Manny Machado low key looks like Yoda or Grogu.
Definitely didnt get notification for this
It's just a numbers game at that point. Everyone will win and lose 50 games, so saving your star player for the other 62 plus the postseason is just good business. Acuna doesnt help anyone by retearing his knee, especially himself.
I don’t mind a few dropped balls if it means picking it up and throwing someone out at second. His arm makes up for him not diving. Either way. In 5 years if his outfield play takes a steep decline we’ll gladly take him as the best DH.
Hard to believe that this time would have been a world record and won the gold at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics (39.06 with Bob Hayes on anchor). 39 seconds was first broken in 1967, 38 seconds (fingers crossed) in 1983, 37 seconds in 2012.
Huh
The way I was taught and how I think the game should played, hustle and ball out. A lot of these players don’t care for records. They just want to play. The Johnny hustle mentality is the way. But with contracts these days and money involved, I can see why selective hustle is the new normal
Yeah, nowadays they don't get paid enough to hustle.
Very interesting
Like someone else stated, there’s hustle and then there’s smart hustle. As you age your body changes and just like any athlete that has ever existed on earth they have to adapt to their body’s abilities. Now he can go hard but give it 4-5 years and he’ll begin to dial it back. Father-time is a sob
W vid 100% agree
And yet his stated goal going into ‘24 is to win a Gold Glove.
If he improves his jump and wants it he totally can, might not be the smartest idea tho
If Acuna gives us anything close to his MVP year this year again, I’m cool with him taking it easy here & there in the field. I rather have him on the field for all 162 than killing it, hauling ass, & diving all over the place for 80 games. The MLB season is a long one & to have all of your stars on the field day in & day out is the most important thing. Yes we won a WS “without him” but every knows our lineup is so much more dangerous with him there.
Yeah makes sense. You have to pace yourself since the season is so long.
All about context. In the playoffs there's absolutely no excuse. You should be hustling all out on every play. Regular season? Hell no. (Especially considering how he's already had some knee problems.) Then you just have to take into account score, inning, etc.
To be honest it’s good that acuna isn’t playing defense with reckless abandonment anymore because it really does shorten a guys career and will get injured eventually. He is still playing really good defense but it’s not worth it for the injury aspect of it. They need his bat more than the few diving plays he would do to save a few runs throughout the season. Look at Byron Buxton from the Twins. The guy is probably the best outfielder there is but he can’t stay healthy because he plays all out like Charlie hustle. Buxton had the potential to be one of the best but injuries cost him with his reckless abandonment in the field can’t keep him on the field
As someone else noted... you can hustle without Ken Griffey Jr leaping knee first into a wood chipper. Laziness is bad optics. I know I know... optics. But i sm talking about optics from a fan perspective. In thus day of double DH and multiple fatigue days during the season, there is no reason for a player to not be at at least a 90% sprint on the bases or on a ball in play. If sprinting is too much injury risk then you are just a walking injury and perhaps sports aren't for you
Yeah because sports aren't for fuckin Ronald Acuna Jr... 🤣
The fuck.
Fuck optics. You know what is good optics? 70 stolen bases. 40 home runs. And MVP.
R u suggesting that sports aren’t for the best fucking player in the world😭
@@sir.muffiniii7011 lol my exact thoughts... Like.... What?
@@Imugi007 literally like ion really give a fuck if u ain’t hustling if ur hitting 40 bombs and 70 homers with a 1.000+ ops
@@sir.muffiniii7011 yup
I wish someone told this to all the kids in highschool baseball. Now there’s literally no hustle, not even selectively.
One of my teammates stopped halfway to the ball as a shortstop, even though he could’ve made the play. In the 7th inning. The game winning play, and he just stopped moving.
Idk we lost 15-0 anyway I think we just suck.
Should I like my own comment?
Sure, why not?
Ok
My uncle definitely disliked this video
Imagine if Trout, Griffey, Eric and countless other hof talents continually hurt themselves because they didn't know when to turn it off on a sub 50% play? Taking a 1 hopper off the wall is going to save you more bases on defense then attempting a 25% snag off the wall will. If you miss it it easily turns into a triple, giving up an extra bag.
All-Star games weren't "meaningless" before the 90s.
Well they really don’t matter lol
@@sir.muffiniii7011 They don't now because there's no "league vs league" competition. Before the late 90s the leagues were separate and were in competition for league pride. Today the philosophy is stats and money. It was a far more competitive sport and the All Star Games mattered to the players, managers, coaches, league presidents, fans, and the press.
@@kingcassius2586 yeah ig, but it is better that the leagues are merged now
As a Twins fan I sometimes wish Buxton would play the field like this, but that’s just not him
Merchados ears 😂 bro looks like qwok
Good argument about the fielding but still doesn't excuse him or any player not hustling down first to admire their homeruns. Especially situationally aware its not the best time to pimp.
Hustling to first is the same, admiring homers not so much
Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t with you people. What you’re really saying is that it’s okay for other baseball players, to admire their home runs, but Acuña can’t. You are entitled to your own dumb and pathetic opinions(albeit wrong). I have a right to call you out.
@@Southernguy39 lacking reading comprehension I see. Notice I said him (Acuña) or ANY other player. Followed by being situationally aware when it's not the best time to pimp a homer. Which was mentioned at the start of this video. My take is spot on and I'll be waiting for your apology. 👠
If they KNOW it’s gone, they can pump no matter the score. Don’t throw a shitty pitch and you wouldn’t get taken yard.
I do get very tired of the Ohtani mania. It seems crazy that it could happen for an elite player and a generational talent to actually be overrated but I'm sorry that's what is happening. Obviously Ohtani is one of the best hitters but people...he is a DH! He has maybe a grand total of 3 minutes to affect a game, maybe 10 if he gets on base. Yes the fact that a player can be so good at hitting and pitching is bonkers and unheard of but that doesn't mean he gets a free automatic ride to the top of the mountain. Even when his arm is healthy he hovers just a few games above his pitching falling into gimmick territory. By the way people act you would think you would be able to check any offensive stat and see his name at the top by a large margin but it's just not the case. When comparing his stats with Acunas go ahead and let me know where this clear cut divide is between the 2? He leads in some, acuna leads in more.
You can't steal 70 bases without hustle. He's playing the game to maximize his playing time and give the Braves more chances to win.
It's stupid to look at that as a lack of hustle.
The basic fact of the matter is these guys get paid millions of dollars per year to produce for their team. Thats their JOB. Not a side gig or hobby. Just fucking run
The problem is the big, long, multi-year guaranteed contracts. Now if THAT DUDE gets hurt, not only is he NOT producing for his team, he's giving them massive negative production due to all the money he's still taking. So the team can't afford to get an expensive rental or try to upgrade another position to make up the loss.
Fortunately for the Braves, they have Acuña pretty cheap which is a big part of the reason they were able to make all the trades that won them a world series when he got hurt but most teams don't have that luxury. And even so, the Braves are still trying to keep their stars healthy. Not only is Acuña not playing as hard as he could, they have backed Strider down. When he first startied starting regularly, he was throwing 100-102 all game long. Now he never breaks 98.
@@wingracer1614 That's just ridiculous. You play to hard to win. It's a sad day when folks call themselves "baseball fans" while justifying lazy play.
Hard to produce if you have major surgery and are rehabbing instead...
@@kingcassius2586 It's the realities of big contracts. If these guys were cheap, they would be disposable. Just like NFL running backs are now. You could play them hard, get them killed in few years and replace them with another cheap, disposable player. But when you place the future of your entire franchise on the shoulders of a few super expensive stars, those stars HAVE to play. You can't afford for them to get bad injuries.
This is also why the league is getting younger. Just the other day I was playing MLB Pickle and trying to find a 35 or 36 year old leftie position player in a particular division. There were only two to chose from and fortunately I picked the right one.
@@wingracer1614 Oh, I get it. You sign a player to a big contract and then bubble wrap them so they don't get hurt. They should no longer play hard. Like Stephen Strasburg. They babied him so he would last longer and.. oh wait.
So is that the point? Pay them more to halfass it? Pete Rose, Reggie Jackson, George Brett, Dave Winfield, and Mike Schmidt were paid what was then considered a ridiculous amount of money and they still ran hard to 1st on grounders. And Reggie only watched his HRs if they were significantly over the wall.
Lowering your effort after getting a big pay bump is bad news. Justifying it is bull****.
Selective hustle should come with selective pay.😊
Ronnie had a major knee injury and hamstring injuries as a braves fan I dnt like it but understand
That’s…not a crew cut that’s a bowl cut
Why not just put him at DH or LF??
Not DH, they gotta use that for Ozuna and his arm is too good for left field
Really hard to watch baseball. I shouldn’t need a special streaming device. Then a special vpn to put me in the targeted area for blackouts.
I got in a car accident….
Wild i think there was a pedestrian who saw that
Couldnt disagree more. The difference between the greats and the very goods is always hustle. Look at the steal by Larry Bird against the pistons in 1987. Larry Bird Didnt have to hustle. He was already an mvp and won championships but That moment showed the difference between hustle and no hustle. Players that dont hustle like James Harden show in there effort why they dont have championships. Pro athletes are separated by mili seconds and the player with the hustle mentality will always win. Players like Acuna and Machado may have a world series but the inability to hustle may have cost them a second or third world series. All of the greatest plays in sports history have happened when the player hustles. Nolan Ryan and pete rose played in the same Era and both played long careers and have set records that will never be caught. If hustle put a strain on the body then why did they play so long and why do players nowadays play such short careers? You are forgetting that a player that hustles is much more likely to play hurt while a player like machado may miss 20 games a season for minor injuries. Just look at how many seasons Acuna and Machado have played less than 100 games. The problem with Modern players is they dont have to play hard or hustle. This is why they miss so many games. The attitude of fans and management is that we will save the players until absolutely necessary and usually the players dont play well in those games. We are treating athletes like Faberge Eggs. They are to valuable to waste on regular season games but thats why we have such a shitty product. The NBA all star game is a joke and Managers are removing pitchers during no hitters. We still have to over pay for tickets to watch athletes who are scared to play the game.
Let's talk about Bird then. He missed all of 1988-89 season with back surgery. By 1990 he could not sit down without being in agonizing pain. By 1991 he was done. How much wear and tear was wasted grinding 40 minutes against garbage Cavs teams or putrid Bullets teams? Manage the load on elite players so they can be elite for the playoffs. Nobody in those stands was paying full retail for a Celtics/Bullets matchup. Have Bird play the first quarter and then take him out.
@@ahoneyman when fans pay to watch these athletes they don’t care if the competition is garbage. They want to see the star play as hard as they can. I’m 100% sure when you pay someone to mow your lawn you don’t pay them to half ass it. In sure it’s great for the athlete to extend his career to steal a few more million dollars but as fans we are getting a shittier version of the sport. The last 7 years of Albert Pujols was nothing to write home about. Angels fans were hoping he would retire awhile ago and while he put up decent numbers he contributed nothing to winning. The same can be said about Lebron James. His numbers are still amazing but he contributed nothing to winning the last 3 seasons. He’s only padding his stats. Soon we will not allow the stars to play in any regular season games and just wait for the playoffs to see them play. Injuries is a part of every sport. If you can’t survive a few years at full speed then maybe they aren’t all time greats. Ricky Henderson was great for 15 years and still pretty good for the remaining 5 years of his career and he played at full speed. If acuna needs a babysitter already then maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to call him an all time great. Maybe he’s just ok.
@@cptjockitch What about Hall of Famers Kevin McHale and Robert Parish? Two hall of famers right there any fan should be happy to watch. They can play some too. What about Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell? Very solid player who is more than capable of taking on Lonnie Shelton and Ben Poquette. Greg Kite can goon it up with Jeff Robinson for a quarter or two. Season ticket holders are letting these Bullets games go real cheap.
@@ahoneyman nobody goes to watch those players. Fans pay the salaries and those salaries should be enough for athletes to give 100% effort. To say Acuna should give 80% effort so he doesn’t get hurt so I can watch a slow fat Acuna in 10 years is absurd.
@@cptjockitch Fine, then we need to hold owner's accountable for putting together trash rosters. That's never gonna happen so players shouldn't waste their time against teams where ownership has no desire to win. (Looking at you James Dolan for most of the last 20 years)
He’s not arrogant n lazy stop hating 💯💯💯🫡🫡🫡🫡🫡
Shohei Hustle
more like charlie diddle
Every single Braves fan needs to watch this video so I don't have to read your screeching on r/braves
Meanwhile Bryce Harper is going over Dugouts and hits Dingers.
Cover money mike
No heart without hustle.
Running full speed on a walk might be the dumbest thing in the history of baseball. The play is literally called WALK and designed to give you the base for free.
Yeah like bro was just doing a bit too much
Pete Rose is my hero - Shohei Ohtani
it’d be great if he shows up tomorrow with that same hideous haircut
love your content my friend but you really need to work on your speech patterns--you tend to do a few end of sentence patterns that are irritating after a while--please feel free to delete this comment but actually look into this, I really think your subscription rate will benefit greatly from a change here. great research.
Every sentence ends the SAME, with the same exact upward INFLECTION, whether making a serious point or a joking ONE
With Rose, he was, as Bill James once put it, the least talented great player ever. He had to go 100 percent with every single play to maintain his career. For a guy like Acuna, effort is more important than hustle
I guess it depends. He sure as shit was a fantastic hitter.
People judging a players worth using made up computer stats that are just percentage calculations, rather than actual mathematic calculations will always be a miss with me. Sabermetrics are ruining the game.
They aren’t ruining the hame
@@sir.muffiniii7011 your right... the hame is ok
@@thescottishlion you know what I meant
Depends on how far you lean into it. Sabermetrics are great for a lot, but there are things it can’t account for.
Sorry I don't think you can defend not doing at least a light run after hitting what you think is a home run. You don't have to pull something but don't come to a dead stop either.
Hell he legit only hits moonshots anyways. He rarely has to guess if a ball is gone or not. They're all 420-450 ft.
That's why he got benched for it. Just like Ozuna
Sorry fuck that bull shit he missed the World Series run and was the only guy doing shit on that 2021 first half team. I’d rather you have two more MVPs and play in the World Series then running out bullshit flyballs
Acuña is elit.