Ronald Acuña Jr. has been dominant since his return from the injured list this past weekend. Braves fans are thrilled Acuña Jr. is back in the fold, as he is one of the best players of his generation and a former NL MVP to boot. However, he is not Hank Aaron or Chipper Jones, among others – at least not yet. For Acuña Jr. to earn his spot on the Braves Mount Rushmore, what he is missing is longevity, something that can only come with time. Someone ought to tell Mark DeRosa that.
DeRosa, a former Brave himself who is not shy about his love for the team, also managed Team USA in the last World Baseball Classic. DeRosa is of sound baseball mind and body, which makes his most recent Braves opinion all the more surprising.
"I would argue he's the most talented player to ever put the Braves uniform on," DeRosa said on MLB Network. I, and most in the baseball media, would argue he is not!
Hank Aaron, not Ronald Acuña Jr., is the best Braves player ever
For one, the late great Hank Aaron played for the Milwaukee-turned-Atlanta Braves for all but the final two years of his career. Aaron has 755 home runs to his name, and was only surprassed as the home run king thanks to Barry Bonds and some illegal substances. Behind Aaron on the Braves Mount Rushmore are the likes of Chipper Jones – one of the greatest third basemen of all-time – along with the trio of John Smoltz, Gregg Maddux and Tom Glavine.
DeRosa tried to disguise his opinion by suggesting Acuña Jr. was the 'most talented' player to wear a Braves uniform, rather than the best. Those are two different things, obviously, but it's tough to argue against Aaron's 1957, 1963 and 1966 seasons as some of the best in Braves history. Had the bases been the size they are now back in the day, he would've stolen more of those as well.
Acuña Jr. is one of the best players in baseball. If he can stay healthy for a change, perhaps he'll make enough of an impact to enter Cooperstown one day. One thing he is not, however, is the best Brave of all-time.
That honor belongs to Aaron, who went through far too much during his playing days to deal with such outlandish opinions.