Braves reassign top prospect Acuña Jr to the minors
In an unsurprising move, the Atlanta Braves have reassigned their top prospect, outfielder Ronald Acuña, to minor league camp. Acuña, 20, will have to wait a couple of weeks to make his heralded debut in the majors.
This decision came as no shock to those who have followed the situation, as the Braves will gain an extra year of contractual control through 2024 if Acuña is kept in the minor leagues through April 13. Acuña was one of six players reassigned to minor league camp today.
Though the decision came at no surprise, it was not simply an easy decision for the Braves organization. Acuña finished his time batting .432 (second in the Grapefruit League) with 4 home runs, 11 RBI, and leading the Grapefruit League in on-base percentage (.519), OPS (1.392), and slugging percentage (.727).
Acuña seems more ready than any prospect in a long time, but development time, especially for a 20 year old, could never hurt, according to Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos:
"“The more we talked about it organizationally, from a philosophical standpoint, having more development time—no one’s ever been hurt by that…We do feel like it’s probably best overall from a philosophical standpoint to get him more development time,” Anthopoulos told 680 The Fan today."
Anthopoulos on Acuña: "right now, just go down, play, get into a routine of playing of playing every day, nine innings, the flow of the season. Get into the flow, keep doing what he was doing and he'll find his way back here, hopefully very soon" #Braves
— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) March 19, 2018
Anthopoulos on Acuña: "the more we talked about it organizationally, from a philosophical standpoint, having more development time, no one's ever been hurt by that. We do feel like it's probably best overall from a philosophical standpoint to get him more development time"
— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) March 19, 2018
The Braves organization is being smart by gaining an extra year of control, but also taking it slow, hoping not to replicate Dansby Swanson’s rushed debut.
Braves fans will have to wait at least two weeks for Acuña’s debut, but it is sure to be one of the most anticipated rookie debuts, and will surely give the phenom plenty of time to fight for the rookie of the year award.
Everyone is talking about this move. And we have been talking about what the Braves will do. I didn’t expect this move to be made today, but I think it’s so that Lane Adams and Preston Tucker — who are expected be playing for the Braves on Opening Day — get more at-bats. Even Chipper Jones got in on the fun a little bit on twitter….
Next: Are the Braves still in the shopping mode?
And the angry twitterverse response in 3.....2.....1.....go! https://t.co/UZqQMtwY0o
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) March 19, 2018
Material content for this story supplied by staff writer Adam McCracken.