New Arrival: Ronald Acuna Jr., of, Atlanta Braves

I remember really digging Jason Heyward back in the day. Mostly because he was considered a generational talent. The Braves manager at the time even comparted him to Hank Aaron. And when he hit a 3-run HR with his first swing in the majors…he seemed destined for greatness.

Ten seasons later his career has fallen well short of these lofty expectations. His career 39 WAR has been more in line with Matt Lawton then Hank Aaron. A good player, but he was never the generational player that many thought he would be. Plus he ended up playing for the Cubs. So screw that guy.

But now we have Ronald Acuna. And he is already looking like the player that people thought Jason Heyward could be.

• In 2018 Acuna hit .293 /366/.552 with 26 HR and won the NL Rookie of the Year award.
• In 2019 he hit .280/.365/.518 with 41 HR. He would lead the league in stolen bases and be selected to his first All-Start team and win his first Silver Slugger.

I probably would not like him so much if I had not had a chance to get his autograph last season here in Hawaii.

This is one of my favorite autograph issues of 2019, so when I was able to get this card at a good price I jumped.