Within a span of four years Venezuelan superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. has gone from signing with the Atlanta Braves for $100,000 as a 16-year-old international free agent, to a 19-year-old Class A player, to an anointed future baby bomber who ranked second on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list, to a 20-year-old All-Star for an 80-win Atlanta Braves squad that leads the NL East after four-straight losing seasons.
The most celebrated minor league prospect since Bryce Harper, Acuna Jr. hit his 25th home run in Sundays game becoming the seventh player to hit at least 25 home runs before turning 21 years old.
Baseball Reference on Twitter
Ronald Acua hit his 25th HR of the season last year. In the last 50 years, the only other player to do that at age-20 or under are Mike Trout and Alex Rodriguez
He joined elite company, the others to accomplish the feat are Black Knights Eddie Matthews and Frank Robinson, Latin Lord Orlando Cepeda, Al Kaline, Tony Conigliaro, and prolific slugger Mel Ott.
Overall Acuna is batting .290 with 53 RBI, 14 steals and hes slugging .575 with a rookie-leading OPS of .940.
The Braves have come a long way from March when despite a .432 average and four home runs in spring training, Acua was reassigned to minor league camp before the MLB season started. The organization was more concerned about the young mans spicy swag rather than his ability to help change the fortunes of the franchise and recapture the golden era when the Braves finished in first place every season from 1995-2005.
For The Win on Twitter
Braves want top prospect Ronald Acuna to wear his hat straight and “respect” the game The Right Way https://t.co/1POXM0VCaD
TSL was very critical of the Braves organizations stance on Acunas hat positioning and Atlantas reluctance to bring him to The Bigs.
Ronald Acuna Highlights Mix – “Let it Rock”
With a AVG 432/ 4 HR/11 RBI/4 SB/1.247 OPS, 19 year old Braves prospect Ronald Acuna is showing why the Braves have one of the top farm systems in the league. How long will it be until Acuna and Albies play on the same field? No Copyright Infringement Intended.
On April 25, 2018, Acuna was called up by the big club, becoming the youngest player in Major League Baseball upon his promotion. The 6-0, 180-pound baseball savant didnt waste much time changing the narrative from a critique of his cultural preferences and cockiness to dialogue about his unlimited potential as the cornerstone of the Braves rebirth.
Acunas defining moment as a rookie was when he crushed six homers in five games (which later became 8 homers in 8 games) , then was drilled by Miami pitcher Jose Urena in August. The Twitter world was outraged, Acuna Jr. was lucky not to be injured and he returned the next day, which only added to his growing legend.
Ronald Acuna Jr.’s captivating home run streak
Ronald Acuna Jr. turned heads around MLB by belting six homers in five games, getting hit hard by a pitch and still returning the next game About Major League Baseball: Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the United States and consists of 30 member clubs in the U.S.
Acuna is a young Latin Lord, the prized jewel in a rising Braves organization that is oozing with fresh, raw talent. Hes the jewel of La Guaira, another Venezuelan game-breaker continuing the All-Star tradition of of fellow countrymen like Omar Vizquel, Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Andres Big Cat Galarraga, who have contributed to MLBs evolution and burgeoning international fanbase.
