Now that the Braves are done manipulating his service time, baseball fans can officially enjoy the Ronald Acuna experience for years to come. He notched his first hit and run on Wednesday, but he was up to bigger and better things Thursday as he blasted the first home run of his big league career off Homer Bailey:
WELCOME TO THE SHOW RONALD ACUÑA JR!#ChopOn pic.twitter.com/zdT3eHsaqH
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 26, 2018
Honestly we’re not sure who’s more excited: Acuna, Acuna’s teammates, or the Braves fan who caught the ball and bailed to figure out what merch he wants from the rookie. We’re guessing an autographed ball and/or bat are headed his way.
Not to be overlooked: THIS CATCH FROM A @BRAVES FAN ON ACUÑA'S FIRST CAREER HOME RUN.
What a snag. pic.twitter.com/ZAWBUN0CW5
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) April 26, 2018
The scouting report on Acuna for those who casually do baseball fandom (via Minor League Ball):
Age 19; breakout campaign exceeded all expectations, hitting .325/.375/.522 at three levels, 21 homers, 31 doubles, 44 steals, 43 walks in 557 at-bats, including a .344/.395/.548 slash line in 54 games of Triple-A; dominant multi-category player against older competition; has the physical tools to match the numbers; only caution flag is high strikeout rate however his whiffs actually declined as the season progressed, an excellent sign; best overall prospect in baseball with superstar potential. ETA 2018.
The Statcast numbers on Acuna’s first bomb:
Ronald Acuna Jr. just crushed his 1st @MLB home run!
Exit velocity: 105.8 mph
Launch angle: 30 degrees
Projected distance: 416 feetSecond-deck power for the @Braves rookie! pic.twitter.com/Q7hQU9oKqD
— #Statcast (@statcast) April 26, 2018
