VIDEO: Atlanta Braves top prospect, Ronald Acuna, hit by pitch…exits game
By Jeff Schafer
Braves top prospect, Aucna HBP in AFL
Something you never want to see happen at a baseball game, happens extremely too often. Players getting hit by pitches. Unfortunately though, in the sport we all love, it’s a part of the game. In 2017, Atlanta Braves fans have seen this way too often.
Unaware Braves top prospect, outfielder Ronald Acuna, is still playing baseball in 2017? Well, if so we’ll fill you in.
Acuna was sent to the Arizona Fall League to get some extra at-bats in and prepare for the 2018 season — hopefully with the Atlanta Braves. Acuna is playing with the Peoria Javelinas alongside seven other Braves players. This incident happened in the third game of the season.
The 19-year-old has started all three games for Peoria, batting leadoff and playing center field. He’s ranked second highest prospect playing in the AFL.
Prior to Thursday’s game, Acuna was 3-8 at the plate with three singles, one run scored, one strikeout and was caught stealing once.
Thursday’s game, he went 0-1 at the plate, but scored twice after reaching on an error and what happened on his second at-bat.
Acuna Hit By Pitch
Probably one of the worst headlines you can read right now. After the reality TV show that’s currently happening within the Atlanta Braves front office, we don’t need anything else like this to happen. Can’t the spirits above see we’re struggling!
Let’s jump to the 2nd inning of yesterday’s game. Acuna batting against right handed pitcher Spencer Turnbull. This guy is a 25-year-old pitcher from the Detroit Tigers organization. He was drafted in the 2014 MLB draft from Alabama in the 2nd round (63rd overall). In 2017, he worked his way up to Double-A, but only pitched in three games and posted a 6.20 ERA.
On a 3-0 pitch, Turnbull comes high and inside to Acuna. What follows is scary…
So yeah, I’m not a fan of this Turnbull guy right now. What kind of name is Turnbull?!
Acuna looks to be in lots of pain in their videos. That’s not a good sign, but there’s still hope it’s nothing major. We — Braves organization, fans and Acuna — may have avoided something extremely worse.
It’s being diagnosed right now as a “forearm contusion”. Let’s hope that’s all it is.
Has that ball not seen Acuna’s forearms? I’m sure the ball was scared to hit Acuna. One tweet I read from @AcunaFacts was “Ronald Acuña got hit in the wrist by a ball during an AFL game today. After hours of excruciating pain, it looks like the ball will be okay.”
I laughed pretty hard at this one.
UPDATE ON ACUNA
On Thursday following the game, Peoria’s manager Luis Salazar updated us on Acuna’s conditions. We won’t know the absolute severity of the injury until he wakes up this morning and they reevaluate the arm. But, Salazar did give us his best update at the time…
Salazar said “He’s fine” and he may be back in the lineup on Saturday. Peoria played Friday against Mesa, but Acuna won’t be in the lineup.
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We’ll keep our eyes and ears open to this situation and continue to hope and pray that it’s nothing more than the forearm contusion.