When the Atlanta Braves signed international free agent Jose Perdomo earlier this month, it made waves. Perdomo signed for the largest bonus in the class at $5 million and he is widely considered to be one of the top talents available in international free agency. All of these guys are still incredibly young so it is still early, but Perdomo certainly seems to have the talent to be a special player.
It is probably true that the biggest selling point for Perdomo was the $5 million that the Braves were waving in front of his face. However, Perdomo choosing the number 13 for his introductory photo op was no accident as he idolizes Ronald Acuna Jr. and he is just the latest signing that Ronald helped make happen.
"The Ronald Acuna Jr. effect" is very real when it comes to international free agents
While most international free agents come from the Dominican Republic where MLB has a host of baseball academies developing young talent, the Braves have been particularly adept at signing players out of Venezuela where baseball is also very popular. Not only is Perdomo from Venezuela, but the Braves' top signing last year, Luis Guanipa, is also from there.
The common factor in both signings: Ronald Acuna Jr.
In his home country, Ronald is quickly being mentioned in the same breath as Miguel Cabrera as the best players to ever come from there. The Braves' pursuit of Guanipa was aided by Ronnie being a Brave and Perdomo is the same way. He is the man in Venezuela right now and given all of the young talent in the country, it is a huge advantage for the Braves to have Ronald in the fold for the foreseeable future. Young Venezuelan players want to be him and just play with him.
Will guys like Guanipa and Perdomo pan out? It is way too early to tell just yet as neither have sniffed full season ball yet. However, what is clear is that as the Braves emerge from the international free agent sanctions placed upon them and try to re-establish their international scouting operations, having Ronald Acuna Jr. around is a big, big help.