Ronald Acuña Jr. tops MLB jersey sales for first half of 2023 season
SEATTLE − Atlanta All-Star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., on pace to become the first player in baseball history to hit at least 30 homers and steal 60 bases, is breaking records in merchandise sales, too.
More fans purchased Acuña’s jersey than any player in baseball during the first half of the season. He’s the first Atlanta player to have a best-selling jersey since MLBShop.com starting keeping track of the sales in 2010.
Acuña is hitting .331 with 21 homers, 55 RBI and 41 stolen bases for Atlanta, which leads baseball with a 60-29 record, 8 ½ games ahead of the Miami Marlins in the NL East.
Atlanta led all teams having four players whose jerseys were among the top 20 jersey sellers with first baseman Matt Olson (8th), third baseman Austin Riley (11th) and second baseman Ozzie Albies (12th).
The Houston Astros −Jose Altuve (5th), Alex Bregman (9th) and Yordan Alvarez (17th) − and the Los Angeles Dodgers − Mookie Betts (6th), Freddie Freeman (16th) and Clayton Kershaw (20th) − had three players each.
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Los Angeles Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani was runner-up to Acuña in jersey sales followed by Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Altuve.
Seattle Mariners All-Star center fielder Julio Rodriguez, last year’s AL Rookie of the Year winner, cracked the top 10 in jersey sales for the first time. He was among the nine Latino and Black players whose jerseys were top-20 sellers.
The top 20 MLB players in jersey sales since opening day
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta
2. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
3. Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
4. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
5. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
6. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
7. Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners
8. Matt Olson, Atlanta
9. Alex Bregman, Houston Astros
10. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
11. Austin Riley, Atlanta
12. Ozzie Albies, Atlanta
13. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
14. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
15. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
16. Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
17. Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
18. Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
19. Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
20. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers