No player in Florida will be watched and scrutinized more over the next six weeks at spring training than Ronald Acuna, and the Braves outfield phenom said he’s not fazed by all the attention.
“It really doesn’t bother me at all,” Acuna said through an interpreter during a Thursday interview at ESPN Wide World of Sports, where he reported to camp well in advance of Sunday’s official reporting date for position players. “I’m pretty humbled, honored and grateful that I’ve received some notoriety and attention. Really, all I can do is prepare mentally and physically and just go out there and try to make the team.”
After he was named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year following the 2017 season, Acuna was rated the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball this winter by several experts. Now he’s in camp for the first time as a non-roster invitee, having just turned 20 in December, but already expected to be the Braves’ left fielder before midseason and possibly as soon as opening day.
If he’s not on the opening-day roster, it might only be because the Braves could assure an extra season of contractual control by keeping him in Triple-A for a few weeks to begin the season. It’s something other teams have done with top prospects, including the Cubs with Kris Bryant when he was clearly ready for the majors.
Acuna hit a combined .325 with 31 doubles, eight triples, 21 homers, 82 RBIs, 44 stolen bases and an .896 OPS in 139 games last season for three minor league affiliates, starting at high Single-A Florida and then pulling off the rare feat of hitting better with each of his subsequent promotions to Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett – despite being the youngest player in each of the latter two levels.
The Braves would presumably use backups Lane Adams and newcomer Preston Tucker in left field until Acuna takes over there. They traded veteran Matt Kemp in December to both dump the final two years of Kemp’s onerous contract and to clear a spot for Acuna, who is an outstanding defender and can play any of the three outfield positions.
The Braves have two-time Gold Glove winner Ender Inciarte entrenched in center field and veteran Nick Markakis in right field, where Acuna could be moved once Markakis is either traded or leaves as a free agent after the season.
Acuna said last month at Chop Fest at SunTrust Park that he understood why the Braves might decide to start him at Triple-A, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to do all he can this spring to convince them otherwise.
“Yeah, to be honest I want to make that decision as hard for them as possible,” said Acuna, who reported to camp early to begin proving he’s ready. “If they decide to send me down to Triple-A, I want to make it a tough decision. I want to make it to the point where I’m playing well enough that they really don’t have much of a decision.”
The calm, confident Venezuelan was asked how he kept things in perspective, to avoid getting caught up in the attention and hype surrounding a major league debut that will be one of the most anticipated ever for a Brave.
“Luckily for me baseball is my true passion, and I love it,” Acuna said. “And it’s something that I feel like I’m good at. So when I’m out there on the field, it feels like that’s the only thing to focus on, because it’s what I care about.”
Although this is officially Acuna’s first major league camp, he got experience playing in Grapefruit League games a year ago as a “fence-jumper,” the term for minor league players brought over to play in major league spring training games, usually as extras for the late innings or as fill-ins for road trips that many veterans skip at spring training.
Acuna was far from the typical fence-jumper. Only a couple of months past his 19th birthday and with no experience above low Single-A before last spring, he thrived to such a degree in Grapefruit League games that the Braves kept bringing him over and manager Brian Snitker kept playing him, thrilled to see the dynamic kid show what he could do.
Acuna was hitting nearly .400 for a while and finished with a .296 average and .387 OBP in 13 major league spring-training games. That was a precursor for a season that saw Acuna climb quickly up the prospect rankings, from the 60-70 range to the top 10 by season’s end.
And after seeing him hit .344 with 25 extra-base hits (nine homers) and a .940 OPS in 54 games at Triple-A, then tear up the prospect-laden Arizona Fall League to become its youngest-ever MVP, a majority of scouting experts agreed there was no better prospect in baseball than Acuna.
“To be honest I was a little bit surprised,” Acuna said of his meteoric rise from A-ball to the cusp of the majors. “I’m glad that everything has gone this way, but yeah, it caught me off-guard a little bit, and I was surprised.”
He’s past the surprise stage now, and aiming for more.
“I think God for this opportunity,” he said. “I’m grateful to have gotten the invitation. Really I just want to give it my all and make the team.”
