Acuna's impressive spring stats reveal exciting potential for the White Sox. Can he translate his tools into consistent offense and basepath threats?
There is some pressure on Luisangel Acuna to perform well in his first season with the Chicago White Sox.
The White Sox acquired Acuna in the blockbuster trade this offseason involving outfielder Luis Robert Jr. Since the 24-year-old was the headline return for the South Siders in this trade, the team needs him to work out in the long run.
He has the chance to become a core piece for the future. Players like Acuna, Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Kyle Teel, and Shane Smith could be that young core that gets the White Sox back to postseason baseball.
Montgomery, Vargas, Teel, and Smith all showed that potential last year. The White Sox hope Acuna can show his potential this season now that he’ll see consistent playing time. The expectation is that he will spend a lot of time in center field this year.
But can Acuna take that next step in 2026?
The tools are there for him to do so. That has surely been on display all throughout the spring, as Acuna has been one of the more impressive White Sox players at the plate in Spring Training.
He is currently slashing .459/.512/.622 with one home run, three doubles, three RBI, three walks, and five strikeouts across 13 spring games. What has been most impressive about Acuna’s spring is the fact that his metrics really stand out across the board.
The 24-year-old has a solid 6.9% barrel rate, a 93.6 mph average exit velocity, an elite 48.3% hard-hit rate, and an 88.1% zone-contact rate. He also has a low strikeout rate (13.2%), a low whiff rate (16.1%), and isn’t really chasing pitches out of the zone (22.6%).
Those are all positives for Acuna heading into the 2026 season. Now, it’s all about putting it together in the regular season while becoming a consistent bat in the White Sox’s lineup.
Although the White Sox shouldn’t rely on Acuna to bring much power to the plate, he can hit for a solid average and be a menace on the basepaths.
Back in 2023, Acuna finished with a .294 batting average and 57 stolen bases across 121 games at Double-A. He then hit .258 with 40 stolen bases at Triple-A Syracuse during the 2024 season.
Those two areas are where Acuna can do most of his damage with the White Sox. He had an expected .264 batting average in his limited Major League plate appearances in 2024 and had a 97th percentile sprint speed (29.6 ft/sec) with the Mets last year.
So, he has the potential to make an impact in his first year with the White Sox. His strong spring should give fans good reason to be confident.