The wait is over. One of the most hyped up prospects (not named Shohei Ohtani) has been called up to the big leagues. The Braves have called up highly touted prospect Ronald Acuna Jr who is only 20-years-old. This week, another top prospect was called up to the big leagues for the first time in Gleyber Torres to the Yankees. A lot of hype has been surrounding Acuna as scouts say he posses all the five tools in a baseball player and most people are banking on him to be a really good player at the highest level.
About Ronald Acuna Jr
Acuna was born on December 18, 1997 in La Guaira, Venezuela.
Baseball runs deep in his family as multiple members in his family played or are currently playing professional baseball with a major league organization. His father and grandfather both played in the minors. His brother is also a professional baseball player. He is a cousin of Kelvim Escobar who was a pitcher in the big leagues and has a career record of 101-91 with 1057 IP under his belt. He is also a cousin of Alcides Escobar who currently plays for the Royals and has 167 SB in 11 seasons in the big leagues so far. He is also gifted defensively.
Acuna's path to the big leagues
The Braves signed Acuna at the age of 17 as an international free agent for $100,000. In 2016, he only played 42 games but put up a slash line of .312/.392/.429.
In 2017, he was named as a Futures Game participant which occurs during All-Star week and is for the games best prospects. He finished the 2017 season with a ridiculous slash line of .325/.374/.522 to go along with 21 home runs, 82 runs batted in and 44 stolen bases. At seasons end, he appeared in the AFL (Arizona Fall League) which is for the leagues best prospects.
He batted .325/.414/.639 and was part of the championship-winning team. He also won AFL MVP.
This year, he was considered the second-best prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline. Acuna was invited to major league spring training and did really well as he put up an average of .432. Even though he did really well, he didn't make the opening day roster due to the fact the Braves' management wanted to keep him in the minors to get an extra year on his contract.
Modern-day comparison: Vernon Wells
Vernon Wells played his last game in 2013 but I see a lot of similarities in these two players. Wells, during his prime years which he spent with the Blue Jays, was a pretty decent hitter in the Jays lineup. The best season of his career came in 2003 where he put up a slash line of .317/.359/.550 with 33 home runs and 117 runs batted in. His fantastic season in 2003 won him a Silver Slugger Award. He had another good year in 2006 when he hit 32 home runs with 106 runs batted in and also put up a slash line of .303/.357/.542. He also stole 17 bases.
In Wells' career as a Blue Jay which lasted 12 seasons, he got 223 home runs and 813 runs batted in. He also spent time with the Angels and Yankees.
He played a total of 15 years in the MLB and finished with a career average of .270 with 270 home runs and 958 runs batted in. He also has 1794 career hits over 956 strikeouts. Wells is also a three-time Gold Glove winner, has made three all-star appearances, and won one career Silver Slugger award.
Acuna has a career average of .305 in the minors with 30 home runs and 121 runs batted in over 253 games in the minor leagues. He's also got wheels as he as stole 78 bases in the minors. His defense has been heralded as spectacular with scouts saying he can be a great defensive player at the highest level.
Acuna will bring a lot to a young Braves team who are nearing the end of their rebuild. Acuna's has the ability to hit 25 home runs to go along with around 90 runs batted in and an average that hovers around .290.
He also should be able to steal 30 bases in a season.
Acuna will be faster than Wells ever was in his career but Wells and Acuna have a lot of similarities between them. Acuna has the potential to be a lot better than Wells was if he lives up to his potential that lots of people say he has.
