ATLANTA
Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. sat up in his chair ahead of Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Royals.
When asked about his cousin — Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia — Acuña nearly blushed with admiration.
“I’m proud of him and (just happy) to see him at the major-league level every time and every day playing baseball,” Acuña said at Truist Park.
Bloodlines run deep in the Acuña family. Their lineage stretches across generations and includes the Escobar and Garcia names, among others.
Acuña and Garcia were paired from the start. They played in the same little league circuit and proudly represent La Sabana, Venezuela. Their shared hometown links their childhood dreams to a present reality in the majors.
“We’ve grown up together and we just try to enjoy the moment,” Garcia said. “It’s just trying to enjoy each moment and it’s something our family can enjoy and people in our country and in our hometown can enjoy. We dreamed of this moment in the past and it’s a very good experience.”
Acuña became a Major League Baseball superstar with the Braves. He won a National League MVP and has been an All-Star five times. Additionally, he has three Silver Slugger Awards, including a 40-70 season in 2023.
All the while, Garcia has cheered him on from the sidelines. And he learned from Acuña’s journey while carving out his own path with the Royals.
“We have a good relationship and we talk to each other every time,” Acuña said. “When he plays here, he comes to my house every time.”
Garcia last played in Atlanta in 2024. It was arguably his worst season, as he batted .231 with just seven home runs and 58 RBIs. Some changes in his batting stance followed that offseason.
At one point, Garcia even referred to himself as among the worst players in the big leagues. That elicited some encouragement from his cousin.
“You know, sometimes we have a bad time and he thought a bad thing in his mind,” Acuña said. “You know, he is a really good player. When he started to play baseball, he was a really good player. And now, he controls his mind and he is a superstar.”
Garcia added a toe-tap to his batting stance. He restored his confidence and began to allow his talent to shine. Across the board, his numbers in 2025 were career highs.
He hit .286 with 16 home runs and 74 RBIs. That strong play resulted in an All-Star appearance, a Gold Glove Award and American League MVP votes.
This month, Garcia helped Venezuela win the 2026 World Baseball Classic. At the end, he was crowned the MVP of the entire tournament — a first for a player from his home country.
“It’s a dream come true for him, for me, for our family and for our hometown,” Acuña said. “You know, everyone was happy that he got MVP. So in our hometown, it’s like thousands of people and we have three MVPs.”
Acuña and Garcia were the talk of the WBC. This weekend, they’ve continued to share their childhood enthusiasm on the field.
They are living out their dreams and doing so on the world stage. Just as they drew it up back home in Venezuela.
“I just want to beat them (the Braves) and beat him,” Garcia said of the competitive rivalry with his cousin. “We played together in the WBC, but now we are on opposite teams. I’m just trying to win.”
When the series is over, however, it’s always going to be love.
“He’s a superstar and good baseball player,” Acuña said. “He’s a good person outside the stadium.”
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Jaylon Thompson covers the Royals for The Kansas City Star. He previously covered the 2021 World Series and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Jaylon is a proud alumnus of the University of Georgia.