Braves Put Ronald Acuna On The Fast Track

Ronald Acuna (Photo by Cliff Welch)

While teenagers may not be commonplace in the Southern League, the Double-A Mississippi roster proved to be an exception to the rule.

After opening the season with 19-year-olds Kolby Allard and Mike Soroka in the rotation, the Braves added another in outfielder Ronald Acuna on May 9.

After hitting .287/.336/.478 with three home runs in 28 games at high Class A Florida, Acuna made the jump to Mississippi without missing a beat.

Acuna debuted in Double-A with a pair of three-hit games, which included a home run in both contests, and hit .415 through 21 games. He paced the organization with a .340 average and 26 stolen bases.

Signed out of Venezuela in 2014 for $100,000, Acuna bypassed the Dominican Summer League and made his pro debut in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2015. He excelled at low Class A Rome in 2016 prior to missing three months with a broken thumb.

Despite the injury, Acuna displayed electric skills in all phases of the game and shot up prospect lists. He made up for lost time over the winter in the Australian Baseball League, where he earned all-star honors while hitting .375/.446/.556 in 20 games.

A plus runner with solid instincts and enough arm to play center field, Acuna provides most of his value offensively. He is aggressive at the plate and on the basepaths, but the righthanded batter displays solid discipline for such a young player.

“Ronald has bat speed as well as an advanced ability to recognize pitches,” farm director Dave Trembley said. “He doesn’t expand his strike zone, and he uses the entire field to hit.”

His power is equally enticing. Acuna generates raw power in his lower half while possessing strong hands and quick wrists. The result has been six home runs in his first 49 games this season after hitting a total of eight in his first two years.

— Bill Ballew is a writer based in North Carolina