Ronald Acuna: The Future of the Atlanta Braves

Ronald Acuna came into the start of the 2017 season with one question to answer: Can he stay healthy and perform at a high level for a full season? That question was soon answered. Acuna had an outstanding 2017, which was his first full pro season since making his pro debut in 2015. The Venezuelan hit .325 with 21 homers, including stops in High A, Double-A, and ending in Triple-A with the Gwinnett Braves, where he tore up AAA pitching, hitting an astounding .344 in 55 games in the International League.

Fast forward to the Arizona Fall League, where Acuna really put his talents on display. Acuna hit .325 with a league-leading seven bombs in 23 games, leading the Peoria Javelinas to the AFL Title. He also became the youngest player ever at 19-years-old to win the Most Valuable Player in the prestigious fall league, which features some of the best prospects in baseball across all 30 organizations.

All the tools are present.

The bat is clearly there for Acuna, who was named MLBPipeline.com's hitting prospect of the year in 2017. But aside from the offense, Acuna can flat-out run. He stole 44 bags this past season in 139 games across three levels. The speed plays very well in the outfield, too. Acuna usually plays in left field, but he has more than enough arm strength and speed to play any outfield position. When it comes to Acuna's defense, he has a rocket of an arm, where he had seven outfield assists in 2017 to go along with a .980 fielding percentage.

When it comes to the bat, he has a very quick, but powerful swing for such a young kid. He shows such an advanced approach at the plate given the fact this was literally his first full season in the minor leagues. He has pop to all fields, with the ability to spray the ball all over. That's exactly what he did all fall in the AFL against the best arms in the minors. At 6 feet and just 180 pounds, there's a good chance he could still grow and fill out more which could make him that much more powerful at the dish.

Here's a fact that's very interesting. Acuna wasn't even on MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects to begin the season. But after this type of performance, you'll be sure to find his name at the top of the list at the beginning of 2018.

Acuna was one of the youngest players in Triple-A, yet one of the best hitters. He stepped it up at every level from High A all the way up to his final destination in Triple-A Gwinnett. If he does fill out, you could see a guy in the Atlanta outfield who could hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in a single season. There's absolutely nothing that the Braves can't like about Ronald Acuna. He has all the tools to be a very good Major leaguer.

At this rate, that could happen as soon as 2018.

Other Braves prospects strut their stuff in AFL.

Other than Acuna, Braves prospects Max Fried and Austin Riley both made statements in the AFL, joining Acuna on the All-Star team.

Fried, who enjoyed a short stint in the big leagues in late 2017 with the Braves, carved up minor league hitters this fall striking out 32 hitters in just 26 innings. He also ranked second in both WHIP(0.88) and ERA(1.73). The 23-year-old lefty held opposing lineups to a dismal .163 average, allowing one or fewer earned runs in five of his six starts in Arizona.

Riley, a 20-year-old power-hitting third basemen, enjoyed a solid fall from a power standpoint. He went deep six times, including three homers in his last nine games for the Peoria Javelinas. He ranked just one homer behind fellow Braves prospect Ronald Acuna. He finished with a .300/.364/.657 slash, along with the second-best OPS in the AFL (1.021). Riley hit .275 with 20 homers between High-A and Double-A in 2017 but struck out 124 times in just 129 games.

Overall, the future looks bright for the Atlanta Braves. With Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson already at the big league level, they are starting the trend of a younger core in Atlanta. It might be some time until you see Austin Riley at the big league level, but Max Fried should see some more time at the big league level in 2018.

As for Ronald Acuna, there's no doubt you will be seeing the 19-year-old in the big leagues at some point in 2018 after the type of show he put on this past season.

Here's a video below of Acuna at the plate: