Out Of Options
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For a while after Suntrust Park was announced, the fable was that when the stadium opened in 2017 the Braves would be ready to compete.
As the opening for the new park drew closer, that hope became less of a reality and instead the expectation to compete for a playoff spot was pushed back a couple of years.
It still hasn’t arrived, but 2019 could very well be the first true step forward in Atlanta’s rebuild. That means 2018 won’t be a playoff year, but it is still a very crucial season for the Bravos.
The steps they take through this season will determine how to spend the money coming off the books next offseason to field a team that will challenge for a postseason berth. It’s also an opportunity for players who have high expectations but haven’t yet produced to do so; especially those with no more minor league options.
Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has said that those players may break camp with the Braves in order to get a longer look at what they can do.
He’s saying that the 25 best guys out of spring training may not be the 25 on the roster on Opening Day (clue number 346 that Ronald Acuna is starting the season in Gwinnett).
The players without options include Jose Ramirez, Luke Jackson, Josh Ravin, Chase Whitley, Lane Adams, and Danny Santana. Some of those names were penciled in anyway, but others may come as surprise picks for the opening of the season.
Luke Jackson, for example, will need to prove that he deserves a spot on the team once they kick it into gear in 2019. He had a lot of growing pains out of the bullpen in 2017, including getting eaten alive by right-handed hitters.
Jackson may end up a left-handed specialist but that will all be determined by what he shows Anthopoulos and Brain Snitker this year.
Josh Ravin was picked up after the Dodger’s DFA’d him in November and at the age of 30 he’ll have a huge chip on his shoulder as he tries to stay afloat in the majors.
Chase Whitley is another new addition; picked up off waivers from Tampa Bay in December. Whitley had a successful season in Tampa, posting a 4.08 ERA. He was a former starter and can offer the Braves another option as a long reliever, so expect him to be given a fair amount of leeway as the season progresses.
Danny Santana is only 27 years old but since a stellar rookie campaign in Minnesota in 2014, he hasn’t managed to consistently produce at a level anywhere close. He could be incredibly important to a competitive team, with versatility and speed that can win plenty of ballgames, even if it’s just off the bench. However, hitting at a .202 clip, as he did last year simply isn’t going to keep him on the team. He’s young and has enough raw speed that someone would take a flyer out on him if he doesn’t remain a Brave but being productive for an up and coming young team will draw more eyes to him than being picked up off the scrap heap will.
All eyes will be understandably focused on the stars of the future in 2018. The Swansons, the Albieses, the Freemans and the Acunas, but it takes a whole team of ballplayers to win with enough consistency to fight for a chance at a postseason run.
These players might be even more fun to watch these season, as they with nothing to lose seek to prove their worth for this year and beyond.
New Captain Of The Ship
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After interviewing several coaching candidates, the MCA Buccaneers have chosen their next head football coach.
Tony Glazer will take over as the head Buccaneer for the upcoming football season.
Glazer will be coming over from Liberty County where he served as the Defensive Coordinator for the last four seasons.
Glazer did a very good job as the DC for Liberty and coached Richard LeCount. LeCount, of course went on to commit to Georgia and was considered by many the #1 safety in the country.
Glazer also coached standout RaeKwon McMillan while filling the DC role for the Panthers.
Glazer will be the 5th coach in 7 years at MCA. With everything that program has been through with coaches this needs to be a long-term hire.
If Glazer is still at MCA in four years then it has been a successful hire. Stability is the key word for this hire.
There is potential to win at MCA, as proven by former coach Robbie Robinson as he took the Bucs all the way to the State Title game just two years ago.
The first step is to win the trust of the kids in the program and then get more kids to come out. McIntosh County is loaded with athletes, they just need to come out.
Tony Glazer will have a tough job in front of him. MCA’s best player, JP Palmer, has moved on to the next level and the Bucs’ starting QB, Denver Anthony transferred to Frederica Academy in the offseason. Those were the two best players for MCA from last season.
There is also the job of winning community support in McIntosh County for his new football team.
This is Glazer’s first job as a head coach.
MCA went 3-6 last season.
NFC South Draft
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL Draft is April 26, 2018. So, it is approaching soon.
This can change the fortune for several franchises. The best division in 2017 was the NFC South because they had three playoff teams. Let’s take a look at the division and their 1st round picks.
No. 7 Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers (5-11) were the only team in the division with a losing record. They took a step back because they were 9-7 in 2016. We expected them to improve and make the playoffs. They also added speedy wide receiver DeSean Jackson to pair with Mike Evans but it obviously did not work.
The biggest team needs are defensive back, running back and offensive guard. Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick would be a great pick. He played both safety and corner in college. He can cover and he’s physical and can make tackles. He also has very good size at 6’1, 201 pounds.
No. 24 Carolina: The Panthers (11-5) rebounded last year after regressing in 2016. They addressed a need by drafting running back Christian McCaffrey in the 1st round last year. He was very good as a pass catcher but he did not run the ball well. He only rushed for 435 yards and averaged 3.7 yards per carry.
The biggest team needs are wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line. The Panthers traded their #1 receiver Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo on Halloween.
Cam Newton needs a good WR so I think they will go in that direction. Courtland Sutton from SMU should still be available. He’s 6’4, 225 lbs. so he’s a big target.
He caught 68 passes for 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2017. Newton struggles with accuracy so having a tall receiver with a big catch radius is a good move.
No. 26 Atlanta: The Falcons (10-6) had an up and down year coming off last year’s heartbreaking Super Bowl meltdown. They did win in the first round of the playoffs against the LA Rams. They came very close to beating the eventual world champion Philadelphia Eagles in the second round, losing 15-10. Atlanta should return to being an elite team if they make the right personnel moves.
The biggest needs are defensive line, WR and offensive guard. Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst would be a good fit. Putting him next to Grady Jarrett might give the Falcons one of the best young defensive lines in the league.
No. 27 New Orleans: The Saints (11-5) had a great season. They have the best running back duo in the NFL and an elite veteran quarterback. They lost to Minnesota in the divisional round of the playoffs on the last play of the game. The defense ranked 16th in total D and 17th in run defense.
They need to improve the defensive front seven, WR or slot corner. Boston College defensive end Harold Landry might be selected here. He showed he could rush the passer in 2016 when he recorded 16.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss. Landry is a bit of a one-year wonder though because he did not have a season with more than 5 sacks outside of 2016.
Bortles Breaking The Bank
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When I initially heard Jacksonville had extended the contract of Blake Bortles (3 yr/$54 million; $26.5 million guaranteed) the first thing that popped in my head was “Tom Coughlin has some terminal illness and the doctors are treating it with medical marijuana.”
You see, the only explanation I could come up with as to why Coughlin would extend Bortles’ contract was that when he made this decision he had to have been sitting on his couch, stoned out his mind, eating powdered donuts, and watching “The Big Lebowski”.
Not many people wanted one more year of the Blake Bortles Experiment, let alone three. Of course, the more I read and thought about it, the more I actually liked the move.
For starters, Jacksonville just freed up $9 million in cap space for this upcoming season. Bortles was scheduled to clear $19 million dollars, instead of the $10 million he will now make.
As close as the Jaguars were to winning the AFC this year, having an extra $9 million to either bring in new players (a wide receiver perhaps), or resign current ones, is extremely valuable.
Secondly, when it comes to the going rate for a starting NFL Quarterback, especially one who just played in a Conference Championship (regardless of how vital he may or may not have been in achieving that), Jacksonville is getting Bortles on the cheap.
Obviously, Coughlin and Doug Marrone see something in the soon to be 5th year quarterback that makes them feel comfortable about having Bortles lead this team, at least for next year.
It’s also very possible that both Coughlin and Marrone were not all that impressed with the available quarterbacks on the market and figured their best chance going into next season was to stick with the quarterback they already have. A “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t” scenario. I’d put my money on the latter.
Plus, and I know this isn’t how Jacksonville is hoping this turns out, but if Bortles continue his less than stellar play, they’ll have a couple options at their disposal. The Jaguars could release him, which is what most people would probably expect.
Financially, it would be a bit of a hit, but minimal enough that it makes this extension worth the risk. They could also try and trade him; his contract did just become a little more appealing to other teams. I’m not saying Jacksonville would be able to get much in return, but in a year where backup quarterbacks played such a large role, a team could do worse than having Bortles as their backup.
Personally, I don’t believe Blake Bortles is the long term answer for Jacksonville. Besides his 2nd season and a handful of games here and there in which he played well, there hasn’t been anything I’ve consistently seen that makes me think next season will be any different than the last two.
But, when you consider Coughlin had already committed to bringing Bortles back next year, I completely understand why this extension happened.
There are a variety of reasons a team may extend a quarterback’s contract- play; money; they don’t like the other options that are out there. Like in most professions, the reason why isn’t nearly as important as what the person does with the opportunity.
With the Jacksonville Jaguars being so close to reaching their ultimate goal of playing in the Super Bowl, Coughlin and Marrone are hoping Bortles will make the most of his. However, they’ve taken the necessary steps, just in case he doesn’t.
Brave New Beginning
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
While Spring Training is not a good example of what will come to pass in the regular season for any major league team, every game provides at least something to watch.
For the Braves, there will be many things to keep an eye one throughout spring, from any innings pitched by their young hurlers to Dansby Swanson’s attempt to make adjustments and improvements. And of course, most of all, Ronald Acuna taking at bats.
The Braves have started off their Grapefruit League season with consecutive losses against the Mets and Astros, but who cares?
That first loss featured every run scored by the Mets coming in the ninth inning off a pitcher whose name I can’t spell and don’t care to because he won’t be on the roster on Opening Day.
Prior to that, the Braves gave up only two hits and two walks in eight innings, featuring the likes of Matt Wisler and Kolby Allard pitching scoreless baseball.
Rotation contender Sean Newcomb gave up one run on a hit and a walk in his one inning of work in the second game, but also struck out two batters. Watching his one inning he certainly lacked control but after the first two batters got on Newcomb buckled down and adjusted.
Which is, again, more important to see than his actually line score. His big curve ball to strike out Carlos Correa looking reaffirmed that his stuff is good and that he can battle. He just needs to consistently throw strikes.
Ozzie Albies looks to continue his good work from 2017, going 1 for 3 in both games, including leading off game 2 with a slap hit on the first pitch.
Watching him play is going to continue to be a joy in 2018, if his gameplay so far is any indication. He was a pesky hitter who also drew a few throws while leading off from first base. That is exactly the kind of scrappy player I hope he continues to be during the regular season.
Watching Ronald Acuna bat was a treat (he made his debut in the second game) despite going 0 for 3 with a pair of strikeouts. I had never seen him play before, but his swing was smooth and he fought off some tough pitches before going down swinging in his first at bat.
Once he straightens out a few balls he’s going to really make keeping him in Gwinnett a tough call for Alex Anthopoulos (sort of – I’d be surprised if he makes the roster Opening Day even if he leads the Grapefruit League in four baggers).
I’d be remiss not to mention his able chase down of a ball to the warning track that was smoked by Tony Kemp in the second inning. His bat gets all the headlines but Acuna is also heralded as a defender who could man center field for Atlanta if not for Ender Inciarte firmly in place at the position. It’s good to see the kid’s makeup.
Even though he didn’t have the preferred results at the plate, Acuna still scored rave reviews from Brian Snitker due to him staying in the dugout to soak up more baseball after he was taken out of the game.
This isn’t required or expected, or even very common, but it says something about the game’s best prospect that he isn’t resting on his laurels and is still trying to learn everything he can about the game of baseball.
It’s so early and the games are massively populated with players that are a long way from the Major Leagues (especially after the 4th inning or so) but storylines are already starting to develop in Braves camp, with more to begin their opening chapters in the coming weeks.
On The Prowl
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Jaguars finally got over the hump in 2017. Winning the AFC South, two playoff games, and letting the New England Patriots off the hook in the AFC title game erased a six year run of losing 11 or more games.
Now with many of the pieces in place to make noise in the AFC what do the Jags do in free agency and the upcoming draft?
Positions of Need:
Quarterback: Blake Bortles played well down the stretch, but is he the answer?
Kirk Cousins would bring a huge price tag in the free agent market but it appears the Jags may not test the market so they need to address the position in the draft.
The Jags are saying all the right things about Bortles during the offseason, but if they draft a QB with one of their first 4 picks then that will be telling.
Someone like Mason Rudolph from Oklahoma State could end up in Jacksonville. Sam Bradford could also be a good insurance policy if Bortles struggles in 2018.
Wide Receiver: Jacksonville has found some quality at the receiver position recently, but it appears both Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee are heading for free agency, more talent at the position is needed.
The Jaguars could also clear $7 million of salary cap space by releasing Allen Hurns. This is going to be a position of huge need for the Jaguars in the draft. Unrestricted FA’s Jarvis Landry, Sammy Watkins, or Danny Amendola would look good in a Jags uniform, and Christian Kirk from Texas A &M would be a good draft pick at the position.
Linebacker: NaVarro Bowman could provide immediate help in the middle of the defense. Prior to injuries Bowman was an elite player in the league, but while he may never return to that form he could still be an impact starter at only 29 years of age.
Tahir Whitehead from the Lions has been a tackling machine in Detroit over the last two seasons. He could help as well.
Current middle linebacker Paul Posluszny is a free agent which opens up a spot, and the Jags need to leave Myles Jack on the outside because he is an outstanding player in space.
Malik Jefferson from Texas or Christian Sam from Arizona State could be draft options for the Jags at the position in the third round.
Offensive Line: If Orlando Brown is there at pick 29 then the Jags need to gobble up the 6’7 340 pound tackle from Oklahoma and move Cam Robinson to guard.
Brown is too good of a prospect to pass up. Braden Smith from Auburn could be a good draft pick from Auburn at OG in the second round if he is still on the board.
The Jags really need to beef up this unit through the draft or free agency. Tom Coughlin will address the OL unit during this draft. You can bank on that because the Jaguars want to run the football with Leonard Fournette right down opposing team’s throats.
Tight End: The Jags need help at the position. Hayden Hurst from South Carolina could be a huge pick up in the later rounds for the Jags at TE and could come in and take the starting job. Hurst was a matchup nightmare for SEC defenses while he was a Gamecock.
The Jags are close to being a Super Bowl contender and now it is time to add the pieces to make this a reality.
A League Of Their Own
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There are only a few games remaining in the college basketball regular season. At this point we know who the contenders and pretenders are.
The ACC has been the best conference for several years and this season is no different. Currently there are 10 teams that will qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Things have played out differently than we initially expected before the season began though. Duke was the top ranked team in the preseason so expectations were very high. The Blue Devils always compete with Kentucky for the top recruiting class and they had a lot of incoming talent.
They landed the top recruit in the class of 2017, power forward Marvin Bagley. Point guard Trevon Duval also committed to Duke and he was ranked 6th nationally. Teaming these young stars up with senior Grayson Allen sounded like a slam-dunk.
Bagley is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder and he’s missed some games with a right knee sprain.
They are 22-5 and the No. 5 team in the country so they are having a pretty good season. The surprise is that Virginia is the best team in the conference and they have a three game lead over Duke.
The Cavaliers have only lost one conference game and their top ranked nationally. They have sustained success over the last five years so maybe we should have expected this.
North Carolina has been inconsistent this season. We know the Tar Heels are the defending national champions and they played in the championship game the past two years. They lost several players from that team so we expected some growing pains.
They lost to Wofford at home in December. In ACC play they had a three game losing streak to Virginia Tech, NC State and Clemson.
They ended the streak against a terrible Pitt team then beat Duke. The Heels are a good team but too inconsistent to advance far in the tournament.
The most shocking team is Clemson because their typically doormats in basketball. The Tigers are No. 15 in the nation and fourth in the ACC. They have not made it to the NCAA Tournament since 2011. They are a legit team and they have a chance to win a couple of games once they get there.
Virginia Tech is also playing well. The Hokies are fifth in the ACC and have a winning record in conference play. After a 10-year absence from March Madness they made it in last season. This will make two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for a program that has only been nine times.
NC State is tied with Va Tech. The Wolfpack as a program have struggled with maintaining success. They beat Duke and North Carolina, which is a major accomplishment.
Louisville has performed well but they are on probation. I believe they have a post-season ban.
Two football schools, Miami and Florida State are both currently 19-8. These two programs have been very good over the last four years so maybe this should be expected at this point.
Syracuse is the final team that will make the tourney. They used to be an elite team in the Big East. After making the switch to the ACC they have been fairly disappointing.
The conference tournament will be very competitive. There is always the possibility of an unexpected team winning it.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When people bring up “March Madness” they’re generally talking about the NCAA Tournament; no groundbreaking news there.
However, with the way this season has played out, the “madness” part may begin a week earlier with the conference tournaments, especially in the SEC.
Over the past 8 seasons, the tournament has basically belonged to Kentucky. They’ve won five titles within that time frame (including the last three) and have made it to the finals in two of the three years they didn’t win it all.
Certainly, the Wildcats have as good a chance as anyone to extend their streak of conference titles to four; the main difference being there are six or seven other teams who have just as good a chance to win.
Currently, the eight teams that are ranked 3-11 are within two games of each other heading down the stretch. The four teams tied for third are only one game out of second. Basically, it’s about as evenly matched as it’s been in years.
Auburn has been the best and most complete team throughout the year. They lead the conference in scoring and have been tremendous on the road and in neutral site games. Their defense and focus has been a little suspect at times, but when they are engaged, they’re good enough to beat anyone.
Tennessee, with Rick Barnes and his desire to only coach teams with orange color jerseys, have struggled a little bit of late, but are arguably the best defensive team in the conference. If they can find some rhythm on the offensive end, they’ll be a tough out.
Arkansas is pretty much what you would expect; they’re going to score a lot of points and odds are, they’ll allow a lot of scoring, too. The question is can they work out their defensive issues between now and the tournament.
Missouri and Alabama are kind of in the same boat, in the sense that both teams have some really impressive wins- especially Alabama- but then they’ll both inexcusably lay an egg against a less talented team. As weird as it may sound, if I’m a fan of either team, I’d be more worried about their opening round game than anything.
When it comes to Florida it’s pretty simple; are they hitting their outside shots? If so, they are one of the better teams in the conference. When they’re not, they’re basically Ole Miss, but with a coach.
If the conference tournament were played in Starkville, I’d probably give Mississippi State the edge to win the whole damn thing; they’ve only lost once at home all season.
Unfortunately for Bulldog fans, the tournament isn’t even in the state of Mississippi and MSU has been down right abysmal away from home. Maybe someone will spray paint the Scottrade Center maroon and white?
Of course, this leads us to Kentucky. On one hand, you have to respect Calipari and his ability to get the most out of his teams come tournament time. On the other hand, I’m just not sure there’s enough talent on this team to run the table.
Combine all these things and the SEC tournament should be one of the more interesting and unpredictable conference tournaments.
For a league that has been dominated by one team in recent years, and plays second fiddle to their football programs, this type of excitement may just be what’s needed.
Then again, if it doesn’t have quite the drama I’m expecting, spring football is just a little more than a month away.
The Curious Case Of Corey Dickerson
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Tampa Bay Rays must know something about Corey Dickerson that they are not sharing with the world.
Perhaps they have information proving that he was the mastermind behind the Bernie Madoff scandal. That remains to be seen, but for some unknown reason Tampa Bay designated their All-Star leadoff hitter for assignment on Saturday after they acquired first baseman CJ Cron from the Los Angeles Angels.
To clue in the casual baseball fan, a MLB’s Major League 25-man roster is culled from a 40-man roster, where they ostensibly keep their 40 best players, including minor leaguers who aren’t protected from the Rule 5 draft (which is a whole different thing, just Google it).
Fourty is max, so if a team like the Rays has 40 players on that roster and acquire someone else without trading away one of those 40, then they have to maneuver in some way to make room.
This can range from putting someone on the disabled list to, as Tampa Bay has done with Dickerson, designate someone for assignment.
Basically, they’ve put themselves in a position where they will either need to make another trade or release Dickerson altogether.
The reason this is a little crazy is because despite a second half dropoff in 2017, Corey Dickerson finished the year with a batting average of .282 and 27 home runs or, for the sabermetrically inclined, he clocked in with an OPS of .815 and an OPS+ of 120.
In other words, he had a very good season. I mentioned he was an All-Star; he actually started the game at DH over the likes of Nelson Cruz; such was the season he was having in the first half.
However, the Rays have essentially declared that they don’t see a need for him in 2018. So, again, I can’t see how this makes sense unless the Rays know something we, the prone-to-snap-judgements public, don’t know.
It’s curious because if they weren’t interested in retaining Dickerson’s services, he would have been a clear candidate for a trade. Now if they want to trade him, they’ve worked against themselves. Any interested party could conceivably just wait it out and see if the Rays just release him outright. Then they’ll just need to spend money to pick him up, instead of spending prospects.
I can’t imagine it getting to that point. In fact, I have to assume (or hope?) that Tampa has got something up their sleeve.
Maybe they’ve already got a trade for Dickerson in place that will reveal itself in the coming days. Possibly they have some other trade coming down the pipeline that will free up a space on the 40-man so that Dickerson can be placed back on it. This seems unlikely, because why risk a player the likes of Dickerson in this particular situation? It’s feasible, since the Rays have 10 days to reinstate him, just improbable.
Were the Rays really that concerned about Dickerson’s second half slump? I’ll grant you that it was more in line with his first season in Tampa and that the All-Star first half of 2017 is more of an outlier of his time in Florida, but his numbers would still be appealing to someone looking for a DH or outfielder.
Or is it something more sinister? Could it be that Corey Dickerson is harboring a dark secret and the Rays discovered it? Fangraphs.com’s Jeff Sullivan seems to think so, tweeting “this move makes plenty of sense when you recall that Corey Dickerson is the zodiac killer” after the news broke.
Whatever the case, this story is just breaking, so stay tuned to The Southern Sports Edition for any news about the Rays’ plans. Or Corey Dickerson’s crimes, maybe.
The Next Big Thing
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Chipper Jones, the Braves most recent addition to the Baseball Hall of Fame called Ronald Acuna the next Mike Trout. No pressure huh?
Braves outfield prospect Ronald Acuna soared to the No. 1 spot in Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list for 2018.
This is pretty high praise for a 20-year old kid. Acuna is coming off a magnificent season in which he hit a combined .325 with 31 doubles, 8 triples, 21 homers, 82 RBIs, 44 stolen bases and a .896 OPS in 139 games.
The Braves have drafted well recently and have 8 prospects listed in the top 100 of Baseball America’s list of top prospects. The Braves fan base would agree that the future is bright if all of these players develop and make the show.
But going into the 2018 season the Atlanta Braves will not be predicted to make a playoff run. So, people are asking will Ronald Acuna be on the opening day roster. Personally, I haven’t been this excited about a kid in the Braves system since Andruw Jones back in the 1990’s and that turned out pretty well for the Braves.
Acuna who is from Venezuela was signed by the Braves in 2014 for $100K. Acuna just turned 20 last December, and has fast tracked through the Braves system and now appears on the cusp of being a major league starter on opening day in 2018.
Matt Kemp is gone and that opens up a spot for Acuna in left field. Outside of Freddie Freeman the lineup has no consistent power, so Acuna brings much needed pop to that starting 9.
Here is the scouting report on Ronald Acuna:
Acuna is a legitimate five-tool player who has the potential to be a superstar at the big league level. Acuna is a big physical kid with an athletic and strong build. He will continue to grow into his body.
Hit: Acuna has above average bat speed and can hit to all fields with ease. He can drive the ball easily to any field. As he develops into a major league power hitter he will consistently bat in the .280 to .300 range and drive in a lot of runs.
Power: Acuna has raw power that needs to be developed, but has shown he can be a consistent HR threat in minor leagues.
Glove: Acuna is a good athlete and has the ability to play all three outfield spots and will probably settle into RF as his career progresses.
Arm: Acuna had the best outfield arm in the minors last season. The arm strength is exceptional. Once he settles in the Braves lineup he will have one of the top outfield arms in baseball.
Speed: Long strider with impressive top end speed. Acuna’s speed will translate in the Braves outfield because he will go get balls Kemp could not last year. Good base runner who can steal bases if needed.
Look for Acuna to have a long Braves career. As he just turned 20, look for Acuna barring a trade to be the piece the Braves build around for the next 10-12 years.
Acuna along with the young arms in the farm system could bring a World Title back to Atlanta in the next 10 years.
Ronald Acuna will be the next Braves superstar. All he needs now is to be the Braves opening day starter in left field. I think he will be. He showed up 4 days early to Spring Training so management is taking notice.
