NORTH PORT, FLORIDA — Towards the end of Saturday afternoon’s Spring Training exhibition game, between the Tampa Bay Rays, and Atlanta Braves, at CoolToday Park, in North Port, Florida, I exited the press box in search of some interesting tidbits from Braves fans, who were out, enjoying their day at the ballpark. A different type of day for me, while covering a ballgame, but then again, Spring Training is a time to try something new.
So, as I began my walk around the stadium, who, and what do I immediately see? Thousands of No. 13 jerseys with Acuña Jr. lettered on the back. Not just Atlanta’s normal home and away versions, but, as well as Acuña Jr.’s Team Venezuela edition from the 2023 World Baseball Classic. A true indicator, showing who ‘Braves Country’ endears the most, as their franchise superstar, and face of Atlanta sports.
Ronald Acuña Jr., recipient of 2018 NL LatinoMVP Rookie Award, and finalist for this year’s NL LatinoMVP. Will he end up being named the winner? He finished off a historic 2023 regular season with 41 HR and 73 stolen bases. – Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
“It’s Ronald’s swagger that he plays with, he just makes it a kids game, and just has fun while doing it,” said Heath Lamond, a die-hard Braves fan, who traveled from Metro-Atlanta, Georgia this week, which is 45 minutes away from Truist Park — just to catch Acuña Jr. and the Braves up close for Spring Training.
“I really like to enjoy watching him play — the base-stealing, the power, the five-tool player that he is, I think that he’s a dog. And so, I feel like that makes him the hometown hero that everybody wants in Atlanta.”
Acuña Jr., 26, of La Sabana, Venezuela, has taken MLB by storm ever since making his pro-debut in April of 2018 — earning the 2018 National League LatinoMVP Rookie award, and appearing in four All-Star Games. Oh, and not to mention, finishing last season with 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases — the first player in MLB history to achieve a 40-70 season.
40 HOME RUNS. 70 STOLEN BASES. 🔥
Ronald Acuña Jr. becomes the first player ever to reach this milestone in a season‼️
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/dM4tsSO5RG
— ESPN (@espn) September 28, 2023
“I think Ronald is going to run the National League for the next couple of years, just because of how young he is, and I feel like he has an untapped potential,” the 23-year-old Lamond stated. “There’s no one in the National League that can really touch his skillset. The sky’s the limit for him. There’s no one that can really match that. Just hearing the players talk about him, and how everything comes with such ease for him.”
As the conversation went on, I recognized just how much Heath was invested in Acuña Jr.’s rise to glory, and asked, ‘when did you first come to the realization that Ronald Acuña Jr. can be the star-level player we see out there today?’
“I first realized it in his first National League Division Series against the Dodgers when he hit that grand slam off of Walker Buehler,” Lamond responded. “Ever since then, he just hasn’t really looked back.”
Ronald Acuña Jr. with the grand slam 🔥🔥🔥🔥
He's the youngest player in postseason history with a grand slam, at 20 years, 293 days old. pic.twitter.com/kLDD9nDAL3
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 8, 2018
Regarding the international-wave across MLB, and baseball becoming more of a global game by the day, Lamond stated: “It’s going to keep getting bigger and bigger. Like obviously, we know that baseball is a global game. We’ve seen the different countries continuing to represent the waves with Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, coming in for the Dodgers. I feel like the whole world is going to end up loving baseball — it’s just going to keep getting bigger.”
“And it’s the best, because we get it put on display right here in front of us, where everybody else in the world wants to come and play in MLB — but we get to come, and see it every day.”
Ronald Acuña Jr. having fun and enjoying himself during 2023 All-Star Game Batting Practice, at T-Mobile Park, in Seattle, Washington – Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
Lamond, like all of us here at Latino Sports, are on the same wavelength when it comes to envisioning the future of Major League Baseball, and how the sport is rapidly growing on a global scale.
Robert Rizzo is a journalist and editor of Latino Sports – Email: RobertRiz994@gmail.com
Follow us on Social Media for updates and exclusive content
Instagram: @latinosportsoficial
Facebook: Latino Sports
Twitter: @latinosports
