Ronald Acuna played in 13 Grapefruit League games last year, but his 2018 spring debut and every other game he plays will be much more highly anticipated and dissected by Braves fans and media than a year ago.
That’s because now he’s pretty much viewed as the savior, or at least the Next Great Brave.
Acuna, who turned only 20 on Dec. 18, is set to make his spring debut Saturday with a start in center field against the defending World Series champion Astros at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The Venezuelan outfielder is the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball and is expected to become the Braves’ starting left fielder as soon as opening day, but more likely at least a few weeks later.
“I’m going to get him in at both corners (this spring) and he’s going to play center field tomorrow,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said before Friday’s Grapefruit League opener against the Mets at Port St. Lucie, Fla. “They (Braves minor league managers) have done a good job overall of (playing him at all outfield positions) in the minor leagues.
“They started kind of doing that a few years ago with guys just because you never know when you get them up here where the opening’s going to be.”
Acuna was a “fence jumper” at spring training last year, the term for players who are in minor league camp but are brought over to play in some Grapefruit League games, usually as extra players for late innings or on some road trips that veterans and others aren’t required to make. But Acuna was different, playing so well that he kept getting sent over in the first half of camp and Snitker kept playing him, intrigued and thrilled watching the kid.
Acuna hit nearly .400 for a while before finishing his Grapefruit League action with a .296 average, .387 OBP and .832 OPS in 27 at-bats, despite never having played above the low Single-A level. Then he went out and had one of the finest seasons that a Braves minor leaguer has had in decades, starting the season in high-A and getting promoted twice before finishing at Triple-A Gwinnett.
He was named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year after hitting .325 with a .374 OBP, .896 OPS, 60 extra-base hits (eight triples, 21 homers) and 44 stolen bases in 139 games, including a sizzling .344 average with a .940 OPS in 54 games at Gwinnett as the youngest player in Triple-A.
Acuna shot from No. 67 in Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects rankings at year ago to No. 1 this year. He’s competing for a spot on the opening-day roster, and if he doesn get it, that might be only because the Braves decided to keep him in the minors a few weeks to assure an extra (seventh) season of contractual control before he could be eligible for free agency. The Braves insist that decision hasn’t been made yet.
Acuna wasn’t on the trip Friday to play the Mets, the first of three consecutive road games for the Braves involving bus rides of two to three hours.
Some Braves who played Friday were to stay overnight and play again Saturday before returning to Orlando, while another group of players was to bus to West Palm Beach on Saturday and play against the Astros, then stay overnight and play the Nationals on Sunday, also at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.
The Braves’ spring home opener is Monday against the Nationals at ESPN Wide World of Sports, which will be the first game of spring for the likes of Freddie Freeman, Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis and other established players.
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