The Atlanta Braves struck gold when they signed Ronald Acuna Jr. as an international free agent in 2014. The native Venezuelan broke into the big leagues in 2018 and has since developed into an all-time Braves great.
Acuna ranks third in franchise history with a .908 OPS, behind only Hall of Famers Hank Aaron (.944) and Chipper Jones (.930). The 28-year-old is also ninth in stolen bases (205), 12th in homers (186), and 16th in runs scored (655).
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Acuna is also a five-time All-Star, a three-time Silver Slugger, a two-time NL stolen base leader, a former NL MVP and Rookie of the Year, and a former All-MLB First Team selection. Additionally, he was the NL Comeback Player of the Year in 2025 after playing just 49 games in 2024 due to injury.
Acuna is still in his prime and is under contract in 2026 with club options for 2027 and 2028, per Spotrac. However, his work thus far has already entrenched him in Braves lore.
Former Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and Hank Aaron Jr., son of MLB legend Hank Aaron. © Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Acuna’s legacy is still nowhere close to the likes of Aaron and Jones, as Aaron leads the franchise in all-time home runs (733), RBIs (2,202), runs (2,107), and hits (3,600) in addition to OPS. Meanwhile, Jones leads in walks (1,512), is third in homers (468), and second in RBIs (1,623) and hits (2,726). Aaron won his only title and NL MVP in 1957, while Jones won his only ring as a rookie in 1995. The latter player was also the NL MVP in 1999.
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Another player with the advantage over Acuna is Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. The 36-year-old played in Atlanta from 2010-2021, winning NL MVP honors in 2020. He was also a key piece in the team’s 2021 championship run, as he slashed .300/.393/.503 with 31 homers and 83 RBIs over 159 regular-season games before slashing .304/.420/.625 with five homers and 11 RBIs over 16 playoff contests. Meanwhile, Acuna missed that year’s postseason after playing just 82 regular-season games due to injury.
Save for Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews, who won the 1957 World Series with the team and was a 12-time All-Star, a case can be made for Acuna against any of the team’s other legendary position players. For example, Acuna’s OPS is currently .069 points higher than Braves Hall of Famer Andruw Jones, who was a five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award Winner. Additionally, his OPS is 0.79 points higher than fellow Braves Hall of Famer Dale Murphy, who was a seven-time All-Star and two-time NL MVP.
Acuna could catch up to Aaron and Jones if he leads Atlanta to multiple titles over the coming years, as that would help make up for his deficit in career stats. Until then, he’ll have to settle for being one of the greatest Braves ever, but not the greatest.