Ronald Acuna carried a ton of hype heading into last season, leaving many clamoring that he begin the season in the big leagues. The Braves kept him down at the Triple-A level for 23 games before giving its heralded prospect the call to the show. Acuna was all that and a bag of potatoes for the Braves, en route to a monster rookie campaign. Acuna wasted no time wedging his way into the hearts of many across the fantasy community, slashing .293/.366/.552 with 26 home runs, 78 runs scored, 64 RBI and 16 stolen bases.

If Acuna were to have played the whole season at the big league level at the caliber he was playing at last year, his 162 game pace would have seen a monster season with 38 home runs, 114 runs scored, 93 RBI and 23 stolen bases.

It was a slow go at the beginning of the year for Acuna, who hit just .249 in the first half of the season and dealt with a trip to the disabled list. However, when he returned, he was a beast, hitting .336 in August and .303 in September and October. His second half was absurd, and it’s the reason why it’s going to cost a pretty penny or high draft capital to get Acuna on your team.

Acuna used right-field only one-fifth of the time, which was considerably lower than most of his stops along the way in the minors. It didn’t affect him much, however, as he hit a respectable .293 on the season. His spray chart indicates that most of his power is pull-side, but he has enough pop to leave the deepest part of the park, and he can run into one the other way.

Acuna certainly could be even better in 2019, especially if he continues to hone his approach at the plate and use the opposite part of the field more often. It doesn’t need to be a stark jump, but maybe jumping a few percentage points would be a big step in the outfielder’s development. Furthermore, it would be great to see Acuna knock down that strikeout percentage (25.3 percent) just a few percentage points. Sure, Aaron Judge struck out roughly 30 percent of the time and Gleyber Torres struck out about the same as Acuna, but every percentage point will help sustain a solid floor in the batting average and on-base department. His .321 BABIP is nothing to fear either, as Anthony Rendón , Justin Upton and Michael Brantley posted marks similar to the 21-year-old outfielder.

Of players with at least 400 plate appearances in 2018, Acuna’s HR/FB rate of 21.1 percent was the 23rd-highest mark in the league. Furthermore, he homered once every 16.7 at-bats in his rookie season with the Atlanta Braves. For his entire minor league career, across all levels, he left the yard once every 33.4 at-bats. Playing his home games at SunTrust Park certainly helps, but his home run totals were divided rather evenly (14 at home, 12 on road) in 2018.

At the end of the day, Acuna is uber-talented and no one would be disappointed with a season similar to his 2018 campaign. Even if there is a regression in a few statistical categories, his counting stats shouldn’t take too much of a hit. His home park is favorable for hitters, and most of the stadiums in his division are hitter-friendly. It’s hard not to be really, really excited about Acuna in 2019.

Steamer projections have Acuna slashing .279/.347/.490 with 29 home runs, 95 runs scored, 81 RBI and 25 stolen bases. There is a slight reduction in the strikeout percentage (24.2%), and even that miniscule drop would be beneficial to his 2019 statistics. At the ripe age of 21, Acuna has a bright future in the league and he’s going to cost a first round pick, no questions asked. His current ADP at time of writing is 8.08, behind Christian Yelich and just ahead of Nolan Arenado and Trea Turner . The young outfielder has the potential, and ability, to hit .300 with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 2019 at just 21 years young.

Don’t be afraid to reach on Ronald Acuna .