Luisangel Acuña Continues Strong Venezuelan Winter League Play

Luisangel Acuña is once again performing well in Venezuela. For the second year in a row, Acuña has been tearing it up for Cardenales de Lara in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Through 23 games, and 76 at-bats, Acuña is slashing .276/.427/.553 (.980 OPS). Half of his 22 hits are of the extra-base variety, including four homers. Importantly, he has almost walked as much as he has struck out (17 walks, 21 strikeouts).

His .980 OPS ranks third in the league among 100 qualified. His 17 walks rank 15th. He has been one of the better offensive contributors in the whole league thus far.

Acuña also excelled in the league last season. During 2024-25, he hit .337 and had a .914 OPS across 101 at-bats.

It is worth pointing out, major leaguers and/or upper-level minor league players are known to kill the Venezuelan Winter League. Offensive statistics are also always on the higher side as evident by half of the league’s teams owning a team OPS of .793 or higher thus far this year.

This context is important to bring as around this time last year Acuña’s terrific Venezuelan Winter League performances sparked excitement for his outlook in 2025. However, last season for the Mets, Acuña struggled mightily at the plate (.567 OPS) and played in the minor leagues for some of the season as a result.

Despite that, it is great to see the 23-year-old showing strong signs at the plate. The defense is not, and never will be, the question for Acuña. It all comes down to if he will be able to emerge as at least serviceable at the plate. It is an important 2026 for the younger brother of Ronald.

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