Reporters encompassed Ronald Acuna in the Braves’ clubhouse after his big-league debut Wednesday. As the interview ended, Ozzie Albies was the first to react.
“Are you guys finished with the baby now?” Albies asked, laughing and smiling before being playfully nudged by Acuna.
Albies, 21, and Acuna, 20, are exhilarated to be reunited in the majors. Their enthusiasm translated to the field Thursday, when they combined for five RBIs in the Braves’ 7-4 win in Cincinnati.
Acuna hammered the first home run of his two-day long career in the second inning. Not to be outdone, Albies plastered one over the right-field wall in the fifth, his second homer in as many days.
“God, that’s fun to watch,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s fun to come here every day and be around those young guys every day. They’re just such upbeat, high-energy guys. Makes it fun to be here every day.”
Acuna finished a triple away from the cycle. He has four hits in his first nine at-bats and has scored three runs in two games. His eighth-inning bloop double broke a 4-4 tie.
But the highlight was his 416-foot home run that landed on the fourth row of the upper deck. He became the eighth youngest Braves player to homer (20 years, 129 days) and was the youngest to do so since Andruw Jones, 19, in August 1996.
“It was truly a unique moment,” Acuna said through an interpreter. “I really enjoyed it, getting my first home run in the big leagues. It was a once in a lifetime experience.”
The outfielder scored from first in his debut and raced in from second during the second game. He already has had his helmet fly off twice, though he has a way to go before catching Albies in that department.
Generally considered the best prospect in baseball, Acuna already has shown his five-tool talent. He’ll have six more games on the road before his home debut May 4.
“He’s an asset for us whether he’s batting, in the field or on the bases,” Snitker said. “It’s nice to have him.”
Albies, meanwhile, is off to a historic April start. His MLB-leading 19 extra-base hits in the month is a franchise record. He leads baseball with 10 doubles and leads the Braves with eight home runs.
It’s staggering to see the power Albies, who first baseman Freddie Freeman once called a “strong petite man,” can supply at a generously listed 5-foot-9, 165 pounds.
If he keeps up his pace, or anything resembling it, he’ll likely be a 21-year-old All-Star second baseman.
“When I got here in ’16, the first day I saw him I was telling everybody he doesn’t need to play any games in the minors,” outfielder Ender Inciarte said. “I said it right away. He has to be here as quick as we need him because that kid is the real thing.
“Ozzie doesn’t stop to surprise me. He’s so fun to watch from the outfield and from the dugout. He’s always doing amazing things to surprise anybody. He’s one of the most fun players to see every day.”
Albies and Acuna roomed together while they were the youngest players in Triple-A. Acuna often refers to Albies as his big brother, a concept Albies finds amusing given the miniscule age difference.
“We stay in contact every day,” Albies said. “He’s part of my family. We talk all the time about baseball stuff, family stuff. We talk about everything. I’m a brother to him. For me, he’s like my little brother. I’m going to teach him what to do and treat him the right way.
Their relationship is a microcosm of what the Braves want out of their rebuild: homegrown talents who bonded in the minors and want to be foundations for the organization.
“It makes you proud as an organization when you have your players arrive here in the big leagues and they do well,” Snitker said. “... You look back at the day we were putting those flags (titles) up there, we had a lot of athletes on the field. And we’re getting back to that now.”
The reboot emphasized pitching, baseball’s best capital. That still may turn out wise, but the most valuable minor-league graduates so far are position players.
The two young guns will be faces of the next contending Braves team, which might arrive as soon as 2018.
“I hope he and I will be together for many years to come in Atlanta,” Acuna said.
