![Ronald Acuna Jr. has been one of the game's best hitters since the All-Star break. [Image Source: Flickr | Bryan Green]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/8/16/660x290/b_502x220x82/ronald-acuna-jr-has-been-one-of-the-games-best-hitters-since-the-all-star-break-image-source-flickr-bryan-green_2076025.jpg "Ronald Acuna Jr. has been one of the game's best hitters since the All-Star break. [Image Source: Flickr | Bryan Green]")
Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves is one of the most exciting players in baseball. He's also only 20 years old.
He entered the 2018 season ranked as the number one prospect according to both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. The hype grew even further when Acuna batted .432 with four home runs, 11 RBIs, and four stolen bases in his first 16 Grapefruit League games.
Starting the regular season in the minors (so Atlanta would gain an extra year of his services), Acuna was called up to the big leagues on April 25.
A knee injury forced him out of action for slightly over a month from late May to late June.
Since coming off the disabled list, Acuna is batting .306 with 14 homers and 30 RBIs in 36 games.
His play, along with others from players such as Nick Markakis, is part of the reason that the Braves enter Thursday with a two-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.
Urena's pitch takes Acuna out of the game
Acuna entered Wednesday's game against the Miami Marlins on fire. He had homered in five straight games and seven of his last eight. According to Bleacher Report, he became the youngest player in the live ball era to homer in five straight.
In the first three outings of a four-game set against Miami, Acuna had a homer in each game and two in the third meeting. He batted leadoff in all three games and put Atlanta on the board in the top of the first with a home run in all three meetings.
In the three games, he was 8-13 (.615) with four home runs, nine RBIs, seven runs, and one stolen base.
The Marlins pitching staff had no answer for the 20-year-old phenom. So their starting pitcher in Wednesday's game, Jose Urena, took matters into his own hands with a pitch (the first, and only pitch that Urena tossed on Wednesday) that went far too inside.
It plunked Acuna near the elbow. He originally stayed in the game, but in the second inning, he asked to come out. Urena was tossed from the game because of the pitch.
Urena has a history of wildness. He tied for the major league lead with 14 hit batters in 2017 and was tied for second in the NL hitting ten batters entering Wednesday.
The circumstances here though sure make it look like it was done on purpose. According to ESPN, Urena's pitch was clocked in at 97.5 MPH which is the fastest he has even thrown a pitch to start the game.
The way Urena dropped his glove and started to point and shout at Atlanta players once they cleared the bench did not make it seem like he was trying to say it was an accident.
Manfred cannot allow Urena to get off easily
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred must now decide what punishment Urena should receive for his action.
He needs to show that in no way will these actions be tolerated in the sport. Acuna was not showing up the Marlins in any way during the first three games; he was just obliterating their pitching.
A suspension of five or ten games would cause Urena to miss only one or two starts. A harsher penalty must be given for his disgraceful action.
In the meantime, original X-rays on Acuna were negative. Whether he is forced to miss any time may be found out on Thursday when he will undergo further tests.
