Talented Acuna giving the Braves options in the outfield

The comparisons between prospect Ronald Acuna and Atlanta Braves legend Andruw Jones won’t stop. As spring training has rolled on, and as Acuna has continued to play with the big team, the whispers have gotten louder.

Acuna is 19. He just finished his season in Low Single-A Rome. Twenty-one years ago, Jones was 19 and had just finished his Low Single-A season in Macon. Then there’s the talent. Acuna is showing he can hit, and they say the power will come. He’s also showed off his arm and range in the outfield.

Jones was on the fast track to Atlanta when he was in spring training back in 1996. The Braves knew he was close, but who could have dreamed Jones would have made his MLB debut that next August.

The Braves started Jones in High-A in 1996. He hit .313 in 66 games, with 17 home runs and 43 RBI. Then Jones went to Double-A, where he hit .369 with 12 home runs and 37 RBI in 38 games. Finally, Jones was off to Triple-A, and in 12 games he hit .378 with five home runs.

Then, Jones went to Atlanta.

We all know what happened then. Jones became a national story when he hit two home runs in the second game of the 1996 World Series in Yankee Stadium. The kid lived up to his potential, as he had a great 12-year career with the Braves.

Jones was the best center fielder we’ve ever seen, winning 10 Gold Glove Awards. He appeared in five All-Star games, and there’s a chance Jones could find himself in the Hall of Fame one day. He’s not a slam dunk, but his excellence in the field could make the difference in the voters’ eyes.

Back to Acuna. Will the Braves start him in High-A to start the season? He hurt his thumb last season and played in only 40 games in Rome. Acuna hit .311 with four home runs, 18 RBI and 14 stolen bases.

Then Acuna played winter ball in Australia, where he hit .375 with two home runs, 13 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 20 games. Now, through Monday’s action, Acuna has hit .364 in 22 at bats with the big-league club in spring training. He’s driven in three and has a .440 on base percentage.

Might the strong spring tempt the Braves to send Acuna to Double-A to start the season, skipping High-A Florida? Well, their history may say the Braves like most prospects to play in High-A, but they did allow Ozzie Albies to skip High Single-A last season after he had a strong season in Rome in 2015.

Acuna missing significant time in Low-A might make the Braves send him to High Single-A, but you know they have to wonder how he could do in Double-A if Acuna was pushed. Chances are, however, they send him to Florida in High Single-A for at least a month and then send him to Mississippi.

The timeline for the minor leagues is not as important as wondering when Acuna might be ready for Atlanta. He will play this entire season at 19 years old. Could Acuna do what Andruw did, and make it to the big leagues this season?

Even if he doesn’t make his debut this year, a good minor league season could put Acuna in the conversation for next season.

The Braves are set for the next two years, at least contractually, in the outfield. Ender Inciarte just signed a long-term deal that could keep him in Atlanta until 2022. Matt Kemp has three years left on his contract, while Nick Markakis is signed through 2018.

Now, one of those three could be traded. But the emergence of Acuna simply gives the Braves options in the outfield. If Acuna comes as quickly as Jones did 21 years ago, the Braves are going to have some tough decisions to make very soon.

Think of the core of this team. Dansby Swanson is just 23 years old. Albies, who could take over at second base sometime soon, is just 20. Now here is 19-year-old Acuna knocking on the door for an outfield job. And, there are more behind him who could emerge in the minors this season.

We all know the young pitching is stacking up to make an impact soon, but Acuna shows there is yet another position player who could be very important into the next decade. And if Acuna could be another Andruw Jones, the Braves might have something special.

This story was originally published March 14, 2017 at 10:31 PM with the headline "Talented Acuna giving the Braves options in the outfield."