The Kid From La Sabana

La Sabana

Ronald Acuña Jr. grew up in a small coastal fishing town in Venezuela called La Sabana, known locally as the land of ballplayers. There was not always a real baseball to be had, so he wound old newspaper and rolls of tape into makeshift ones and played until they fell apart. His father, Ronald Sr., spent eight seasons in the minor leagues — Mets, Blue Jays, and Brewers organizations — chasing a career in the United States. While he was away, his mother, Leonelis Blanco, sold lottery raffle tickets to support the family.

By 16, Acuña was a skinny kid most clubs had passed over. Braves scout Rolando Petit insisted he come to Caracas for a workout. He signed that night for $100,000 and went home to find his mother and aunts in tears. He told her he would reach the majors.

One uniform

He made his debut on April 25, 2018, and has never worn another. Across nine seasons with Atlanta, Acuña has collected 1,000 hits — 172 doubles, 14 triples, 202 home runs, and 225 stolen bases in 907 games. He was the 2018 Jackie Robinson NL Rookie of the Year and the 2023 MVP. That same year he earned the Hank Aaron Award. He has been an All-Star five times and won three Silver Slugger awards.

The call

The day of his 2018 call-up, Acuña and his Cuban roommate heard a loud knock they could not answer because neither understood the English on the other side of it. He tricked his roommate into opening the door. It was the manager. Acuña texted his parents, and they threw a party back home.

On September 6, 2026, he collected his 1,000th career hit. He is 28 years old and still in the Atlanta outfield.

Reporting: The Players' Tribune, MLB.com, Britannica. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.