The Atlanta Braves season ended in the National League Division Series, and Ronald Acuña Jr.'s failure to make a real impact in the postseason was a hot topic.
It wasn't just fans who were being hard on the former MVP for not coming through. Acuña was being hard on himself.
“To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement," Acuña said after the Game 4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. "I’m particularly frustrated with myself. I feel like I did nothing to help the team this series. I’m supposed to be a spark plug for my team out there, and I never lit that fire.”
Acuña, who was seen as the face of the franchise, was booed by his home fans in the loss.
"They’re well within their rights to boo and to say what they think and feel," he said. "I didn’t do anything. So they’re well within their rights to do that.”
“I know the talent I have," he added. "It’s frustrating when you have that potential and you’re not doing anything with it.”
Acuña went 3-for-24 in the postseason and was clearly upset with his performance. He was holding back tears in the clubhouse when talking to reporters. Former Boston Red Sox legend sent a kind message to Acuña on X amid his criticism of himself.
"Ronald, this is a game of failures," Martínez wrote on X. "My boy, every Latino who sees you play is very proud of you. Thank you for taking responsibility for what you couldn't do for your team."
The reality is, Acuña has high expectations of himself and from the fan base. He is one of the best players in baseball when he's going right, and he needs to find a way to be that player in October. It starts with staying healthy.