NY Mets infielder Luisangel Acuna morphed into Kyle Schwarber last night

Goose egg is such a great term for zero. It’s antiquated and yet we all know exactly what it means. How many of us have actually seen a goose lay an egg? For all we know, they’re not so round like a zero. I bring this up because that’s how many home runs Luisnagel Acuna hit for the New York Mets last year. It’s the same he hit for the Syracuse Mets, too. Zero.

The Venezuelan Winter League has played on in spite of world politics. Acuna took advantage of the extra at-bats plus an apparent position player on the mound in the ninth by going yard 4 times.

Blind squirrels eventually find a nut. Acuna must’ve stocked up for all of winter. The man has power, it just went into hibernation for too long.

Luisangel Acuna is taking advantage of his extra at-bats and we can only hope it translates into MLB success with the Mets

This is Acuna’s second year playing Winter Ball and the second time he has put up big numbers. It’s a little different this time around. In 2024-2025, he was coming off of a strong finish in the big leagues. Playing well surprised no one.

Circumstances are much different. He’s out of minor league options and on the fringe of the roster. Surely a trade candidate, if anyone is buying into offseason displays like this against inferior competition, it’s a big year coming up for Acuna but also not one anyone should necessarily be sold on having much of a reward in the end.

Acuna has skills, but the bat lacks at the major league level. He can have a long career as a utility player, running and defending. It’s the hitting that hasn’t stuck.

The Mets are getting rewarded in a different way with Acuna this offseason. His time is being split at shortstop and center field. It’s center field he needs to master on some level in order to become a truly useful player on the roster. As an infielder, there just aren’t the same opportunities as there were last season.

Just 3 innings in the majors as a center fielder with one chance and a putout, it’s a path we all plainly see available to get the most from him. Oddly, a 4 home run game won’t impress the Mets front office as much as a clean defensive year in Winter Ball as a center fielder. Through 36 chances, he has yet to commit an error.