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Ronald Acuna joins Atlanta Braves baseball card royalty

By Benjamin Chase

HIROSHIMA, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 13: Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves poses for photographs during his 'National Lague Rookie of the Year' press confernece prior to the game four between Japan and MLB All Stars at Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium on November 13, 2018 in Hiroshima, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
HIROSHIMA, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 13: Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves poses for photographs during his 'National Lague Rookie of the Year' press confernece prior to the game four between Japan and MLB All Stars at Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium on November 13, 2018 in Hiroshima, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images) /
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By winning the fan vote as the #1 overall card in the 2019 Topps base set, Ronald Acuna, Jr. joined a very elite club in Atlanta Braves history.

For the last few seasons, Topps has held a fan vote for the #1 card in each season’s set. Mike Trout won that first fan vote. This year’s set will be headlined by the Atlanta Braves own Ronald Acuna, Jr.

Acuna joins just one other player in the history of the Atlanta Braves organization who has ever been the #1 card in the Topps base set, Hank Aaron.

The Topps base set began in 1952 with Andy Pafko as the first #1 in Topps history. While many card companies have come and gone over the years, Topps has remained the industry standard among baseball card collectors.

Aaron holds the record with 5 appearances as the #1 card in the set. He was part of a leaders card in 1963. As he neared and passed Babe Ruth‘s home run record in the 1970s, Aaron appeared as the first card in the series four straight seasons from 1973-1976, the first of which he shared with Ruth and Willie Mays.

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None of the #1 cards for Aaron was his primary card in the set, as each was a highlight card featuring his accomplishments and milestones. This will be Acuna’s primary card in the 2019 set.

The Atlanta Braves will be represented very well in the 2019 Topps set, with 10 player cards in the base set, a variations card, and a whole host of inserts celebrating 150 years of professional baseball, the 1984 set (one of my personal favorites), and even a 30-card set of Acuna highlights.

In all, the Atlanta Braves will have 129 inserts, one Variations card, and 10 base cards, giving collectors the chance to collect 140 Braves cards in the 2019 Topps Series 1 base series.

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While this may not come on par with winning a Rookie of the Year award or being selected to represent Major League Baseball overseas, it’s yet another note of just how special a player the Atlanta Braves have in Ronald Acuna, Jr.

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