All-Star Week gives Braves, Atlanta national platform to celebrate Ronald Acuña Jr.

“I never have (seen anything like it) in my lifetime,” manager Brian Snitker said after the game. “(Then-first baseman) Freddie (Freeman) and I are sitting there looking at each other like, ‘My God. Are we really seeing this?’ And the explosions when he hit them, too.”

Months later, he became the youngest to hit a postseason grand slam. Acuña was named the National League rookie of the year.

Seven years later, Acuña has never stopped achieving the amazing when healthy. The coming week will be another testament to his magnificence.

He might not homer in Tuesday’s All-Star Game — as Chipper Jones did in front of his home fans in 2000 — but Acuña’s presence alone commands respect.

Let this be another reminder that he’s among the greatest individual talents in the Braves’ acclaimed history.

In the years to come, he might even position himself to be among the best.

“I can’t say enough about the talent of a player he is,” said fellow All-Star Matt Olson, the Braves’ first baseman. “What he’s able to do on a baseball field, not many people can do.”

Braves starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach, who might’ve been an All-Star if he were healthy, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “He plays with a different kind of juice, energy that you don’t really see often. The things he does on the field, you just don’t see it.”

Last May, Acuña suffered a torn ACL for the second time in his career. He didn’t return this season until May 23 — then homered on the first pitch he saw. What an appropriate entrance for the leadoff man who makes historic accomplishments seem routine.

Acuña has been among the most prolific offensive players in the sport, as exemplified by earning a starting spot in the National League’s All-Star outfield, despite having appeared in just 35 games before the announcement. Fans stuffed the ballot boxes, but his MVP-level performance merited the consideration.

“I have to give all the credit to the fans,” Acuña said via team interpreter Franco Garcia, who’s translated for Acuña throughout his career. “I missed a ton of playing time and without them, I’m not in this game. So they’re the ones who made this dream come true for me.”

The Braves have had myriad offensive issues, but Acuña isn’t among them. There have been points he’s played Tracy McGrady while the rest of the offense masqueraded as the 2003 Orlando Magic.

Acuña, still just 27, has hit .336/.454/.601 entering Thursday. He has 11 homers, five doubles and 20 RBIs while stealing four bases. He’s routinely showed off one of the best arms in right field. And importantly, he’s moved swiftly and comfortably while displaying physical caution at points for his own betterment.

This is an all-time talent in his career’s prime seasons. He’s returned from another serious knee injury to look the best he’s been since his 2023 MVP campaign.

“When I first saw Ronald play, I told his dad, ‘This guy is a special talent. He has a chance to be the Mike Trout from Venezuela,’” future Hall of Famer and Venezuelan countryman Miguel Cabrera told the AJC in 2022. “He has so much talent, and he can do whatever he wants on the baseball field.”

When Acuña endured his first ACL tear in 2021, he watched from the side as his team earned one of the more improbable World Series titles in history. He became an All-Star again when healthy the next season. When fully healthy in 2023, he won National League MVP after producing MLB’s first 40-70 campaign.

Acuña has said he feels better now than he did then. Even if this season never improves in the way the Braves and their fans hope, Acuña provides reason to watch. When they begin assessing their roster in the offseason — a group that will need tweaks — they know they’ll have a Hall of Fame-level producer atop their order.

But for now, the focus should center on the present. Acuña will represent the Braves, the state of Georgia and the Southeast in the coming days. And his home fans will have a national platform to celebrate one of the Braves’ greatest players.