Here’s what ZIPS future projections look like for Acuņa. I don’t like ZIPS, but it seems to now like Ronny.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/40-70-is...nald-acuna-jr/
Mike Trout now shows up at the top of Acuņa’s cohort list in ZiPS; literally nobody ever gets a mid-20s Trout comp. ZiPS now projects him to finish with 112 WAR, more than any active player, which includes Trout. He’s also the only current player that ZiPS projects to eclipse 600 homers, and I didn’t forget Juan Soto in that. Despite ZiPS already projecting a five-win 2024 season from Acuņa, he’s at the top in positive change in projected WAR next year. If you like HR–SB clubs, ZiPS also projects a 70% chance that he joins Barry Bonds at 500–500, with 600–600 even being plausible if MLB doesn’t unring the bell on the rules that opened up the game to more stolen bases.
Whether or not Acuņa is the 2023 MVP, he’s the favorite for being the MVP of the entire next decade and has a good shot at being the best position player in the era after Trout. Next to that, 40–70 almost seems boring (OK, it’s still pretty cool).