Ten MLB prospects who should start the season in the big leagues

MLB Rumors: 10 prospects who should start the season in the big leagues

TAMPA, FL - MARCH 02: Atlanta Braves center fielder Ronald Acuna (82) at bat during the MLB Spring training game between the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees on March 02, 2018 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, FL. (Photo by /Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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TAMPA, FL – MARCH 02: Atlanta Braves center fielder Ronald Acuna (82) hits a home run during the MLB Spring training game between the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees on March 02, 2018 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, FL. (Photo by /Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Ronald Acuna

The Atlanta Braves weren’t messing around when they traded Matt Kemp back to the Dodgers in a move that saw both teams shuffling around bad contracts. That move was all about opening a spot for phenom Ronald Acuna. The 20-year-old is the most exciting prospect in baseball not named Shohei Ohtani. Acuna is without a doubt the biggest prospect to come through the Atlanta system since Chipper and Andruw Jones.

Acuna will be a 30-30 threat the moment he establishes himself as a full-time big leaguer. He’s that good. In his age-19 season, Acuna reached Triple-A by the end of the year, where he was nearly eight years younger than the rest of his competitors. He hit .325/.374/.522 with 31 doubles, eight triples, 21 home runs and 44 stolen bases across three levels. To top it all off, Acuna went out and hit .325/.414/.639 in the prestigious Arizona Fall League.

The Braves have the league’s best hitting prospect in Acuna, and he has a well-rounded approach at the plate. What was so impressive about his epic 2017 season was his improvement at each level of the minors. Acuna cut down on his strikeout rate each time he moved up a level and put up his best slash line at Triple-A.

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There is reason for the Braves to be cautious with Acuna, and there’s no need to start his service time any sooner than they have to. That being said, it’s hard to ignore a 20-year-old hitting over .400 in the Grapefruit League with an OPS over 1.000 and four stolen bases.

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