Acuña's Two Hundred

La Sabana

Ronald Acuña Jr. grew up in the coastal fishing town of La Sabana, Venezuela, where as a child he crushed old newspapers into balls and wrapped them tight with tape to make his own baseballs. He would beg his mother, Leonelis, for spare change to buy more tape, playing with friends until dark. Leonelis sold lottery tickets on the streets and later from a stand near their home while his father, Ronald Sr., pursued a minor league career in the United States. Baseball ran through the family — his maternal grandfather Romualdo Blanco pitched in the minors, and cousins Kelvim and Alcides Escobar reached the majors — but most teams looked at the skinny 16-year-old and passed. After tryouts that brought praise but no callbacks, Acuña nearly quit. Braves scout Rolando Petit invited him to Caracas, where Acuña performed well and signed that same night. His mother and aunts cried tears of joy upon his return home. Atlanta had signed him for a $100,000 bonus, most other teams having passed on his size and projection.

Nine Seasons

When the Triple-A manager knocked on his hotel room door in 2018, Acuña and his Cuban roommate — neither of whom spoke English well — argued over who should answer. The manager entered and told him to pack for the majors. Acuña texted his parents, and they threw a party in La Sabana. He debuted on April 25 and won the Jackie Robinson National League Rookie of the Year. Nine seasons later, all of them in an Atlanta uniform, Acuña hit his 200th career home run on September 2. He is 28 years old, with a .285 average, 225 stolen bases, and a Most Valuable Player award in 2023. Former Braves coach Ron Washington, whom Acuña has described as a second dad, coached him on life as well as baseball and stressed enjoying the beauty of the game. His younger brother Luisangel reached the major leagues with the New York Mets, continuing the family tradition of professional baseball players from La Sabana. Acuña has 14 home runs this season and is still an outfielder for the Braves.

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