StockWatch: Ronald Acuna

StockWatch: Ronald Acuna

Consensus No. 1 overall prospect Ronald Acuna was sent down despite batting .432 with 4 HR, 11 RBIs and 4 SB in 16 spring training games.

It’s expected to be a mere cost-saving move that will only delay the Braves’ 20-year-old phenom arrival in Atlanta by a couple weeks. We’re guessing he’s up by mid-April once the Braves have delayed his service time clock enough to secure an extra year of team control.

Despite the demotion, we have actually bumped up his projection on the heels of his strong spring to a .278 BA, 54 R, 15 HR, 60 RBIs, 21 SB in 465 PA, rising to No. 49 in our outfield rankings. Even that’s a conservative prediction for the budding superstar, so feel free to reach for him if you like going for the home run in drafts.