Ranking each piece of Atlanta Braves young core after Harris extension

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., Right Fielder

Ronald Acuña Jr. has made a strong return from his ACL tear in 2021. He was named an All-Star for the third time in his career. Despite a slow period to begin the summer, Acuña still has hit 16 doubles, 10 home runs, 32 RBI, and 25 stolen bases with a .789 OPS and 118 OPS+. He is also a Rookie of the Year winner, twot-ime Silver Slugger, and has multiple top-12 MVP finishes.

More importantly for 2022, he’s started to find his rhythm at the plate again in mid-August.

Acuña is only 24 and is under contract through 2028, which lines up with his age-29/30 season. He already has 103 stolen bases, 94 doubles, 115 home runs, and a career .902 OPS through his five seasons so far. He is an elite outfielder and will only improve as he gets further out from his knee injury.

With the numbers he’s consistently put up, Acuña on pace to win an MVP award someday or at least be a perennial All-Star. Thanks to his age and history of production, he gets the No. 1 nod of being the Braves’ most important core piece.

However, this is a case of 1A and 1B. Acuña moving to right field will help him stay healthy. He’s been worth 2.2 WAR so far this year but has 17.1 in his career.