Ronald Acuña Jr. named starting outfielder in All-Star Game

Acuña had already committed to participate in the home run derby last week, so he’ll be heavily featured over the two days of festivities. He expressed great appreciation to the fans who voted for him, particularly because he didn’t make his season debut until late May.

“It’s incredible,” he said. “I have to give all the credit to the fans. I missed a ton of playing time and without them, I’m not in this game. So they’re the ones who made this dream come true for me.”

The Braves had an aggressive campaign for Acuña during the phases of fan voting. It paid off: Once again, the voting reflected how revered Acuña has become among Braves and MLB fans.

It’s a mutual feeling. Asked about his relationship with the community, Acuña gushed about Atlanta and the organization. Unprompted, he reiterated a desire to spend his entire potential Hall-of-Fame career with the Braves.

Acuña is signed through next season with two club options, meaning he likely wouldn’t reach free agency until after the 2028 season.

“Outside of Venezuela, Atlanta is my second home,” Acuña said. “I love being here. I want to continue being in this organization and being part of this organization for the rest of my career. I’m comfortable here. I like it here. I feel like I know everyone. So for me, it’d be a dream to be able to stay here.”

The 2023 NL MVP has been a major positive in a season loaded otherwise with negatives. Since debuting May 23, Acuña has hit .350/.467/.610 in 35 games. He’s hit nine homers and five doubles with 18 RBIs and four stolen bases. He’s been the exception in a lineup that’s consistently struggled to produce.

“I’m happy that we have a representative in the starting lineup in our hometown,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, who will be part of the NL All-Stars coaching staff. “You look at the numbers since he’s come, he’s an exciting national player. I think everybody wanted to see him play, as I would. He’ll give them a great show in the home run derby. I’ve seen him in that a couple times.

“It’s a great honor and I’m sure he’s very proud of the fact that he’ll be able to represent Atlantan in the All-Star Game. It’s awesome.”

Acuña will be joined in the outfield by the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker. Acuña received 21% of the votes, most among NL outfielders. Acuña, Crow-Armstrong and Tucker beat out Teoscar Hernandez (Dodgers), Juan Soto (Mets) and Andy Pages (Dodgers) for starting spots.

The latest All-Star honor puts Acuña in exclusive Braves company. He equaled Freddie Freeman, Andruw Jones and Phil Niekro with his fifth selection. The only Braves in the Atlanta era who’ve received more All-Star selections are Hank Aaron (nine after the franchise relocated to Atlanta), Chipper Jones (eight), John Smoltz (eight), Tom Glavine (eight), Greg Maddux (six), Brian McCann (seven) and Dale Murphy (seven).

This will also be Acuña’s third home run derby (2019, 2022). He was eliminated by Pete Alonso in both his previous appearances. The Braves have never had a home-run-derby winner.

The MLB All-Star game will take place July 15 at 8 p.m. The home run derby will take place 24 hours earlier. Atlanta hasn’t hosted the Midsummer Classic since 2000.

MLB will announce the full All-Star rosters Sunday at 5 p.m. The NL starting lineup, as voted by fans, is listed below:

C Will Smith, Dodgers

1B Freddie Freeman, Dodgers

2B Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks

3B Manny Machado, Padres

SS Francisco Lindor, Mets

OF Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves

OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs

OF Kyle Tucker, Cubs