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Atlanta Braves: What to expect from Ronald Acuña

By Murphy Carlton

MIAMI, FL - JULY 09: Ronald Acuna #24 of the Atlanta Braves and the World Team swings at a pitch against the U.S. Team during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Marlins Park on July 9, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - JULY 09: Ronald Acuna #24 of the Atlanta Braves and the World Team swings at a pitch against the U.S. Team during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Marlins Park on July 9, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves’ top prospect Ronald Acuña seems to be ready to make a big impact for a team looking to be contenders by as early as 2018. But what should you expect to see from the young phenom?

The 2018 Grapefruit League season has been the Ronald Acuña show as the Atlanta Braves‘ #1 prospect has put all of his skills on display. Whether he is hitting balls into orbit, or running balls down in the outfield, Acuña has shown everyone in Braves country that he is ready to compete and contribute at the big league level.

Acuña so far this spring is hitting .410/.511/.744 with 4 homers and 16 hits in 39 at-bats (before yesterday’s game – he went 3 for 5). While people like to say that spring stats don’t matter, these stats however give Braves’ fans hope the days of playing meaningful baseball are soon to return.

The 20 year-old is slated to make his big league debut at some point during the 2018 season. While it is still unclear as to when that will happen, what is clear is how big of an impact Acuña will have on this Braves team.

Fitting like a glove

With a lineup that lacks power, especially from the right side of the plate, Acuña will be a welcomed addition to help drive in runs and hit balls out of the ballpark. I’m not sure where Braves manager Brian Snitker will hit Acuña in the order, but wherever he is hitting he will provide this team with some thunder.

His .511 on-base percentage shows that he also has the ability to get on-base consistently, which will give the Braves more opportunities to score runs. With the majority of the runs coming from the top of the order, maybe having Acuña hit 6th would give the guys hitting in the bottom of the order a chance to drive more runs in.

Like all young hitters, Acuña will more than likely face some growing pains as he progresses through his first season at the major-league level. His ability to adjust to how pitchers are pitching him will be a big key to his success this year. Don’t panic the first time Acuña goes hitless for consecutive games. It’s going to happen, but pay close attention to how he handles failure and tries to bounce back from a poor performance or two.

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Healthy Arrogance?

The Venezuelan youngster brings more to this team than his baseball skills. He has a sort of swagger about him that you see instantly when he steps on the field. He knows he’s good and he’s going to let you know he’s good, but he does it in a way that isn’t viewed as a negative.

Whether it’s watching a ball he just hit fly out of the stadium or showing his Latin-flare as he crosses home-plate, he gets people excited about this team and the future of the Atlanta Braves organization.

Acuña’s passion for this team and the game of baseball is going to be a big driving force behind this Braves team for many years to come.

Potential R.O.Y. Season?

We all can agree on one thing, Ronald Acuña is going to have success when he finally reaches the big-league level. He’s been great at every other level he has played at so far in his young professional career, so why not expect big things from him this year?

I’m looking for Acuña to have a BIG season, as I know all of you reading this are as well. Looking at ZiPS predictions for him:

.269/.321/.452 136 G 594 PA 21 HR 73 RBI 33 SB

And now my predictions:

.275/.332/.450 130 G 560 PA 24 HR 80 RBI 30 SB

Both ZiPS and I seem to be on the same page when it comes to Mr. Acuña having a very impressive rookie campaign in 2018. And maybe he can find his way to receiving an award after the season is all said and done.

With players like Lewis Brinson, Victor Robles, Walker Buehler, and Jesse Winker expected to play big roles for their respected teams this season, the race for National League Rookie of the Year is going to be tight. However, Acuña seems to be ahead of the pack and is ready to set his sights on a monster year. Ronald Acuña will be the Rookie of the Year for the NL in 2018. Write it down in pen. It’s happening.

Next: Bench Battles

It will be interesting to see how the Braves handle Acuña this season. Whether he is in the lineup on March 29th for Opening Day or called up at some point later in April, Ronald Acuña will be a big part of the Atlanta Braves in 2018 and beyond.

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