The Atlanta Braves have agreed to an eight-year, $100 million contract with second-year outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., the team confirmed on Tuesday.
Acuna, 21, won National League Rookie of the Year honors in 2018 after batting .293 with 26 home runs and 64 RBIs.
He was the number one prospect in baseball before the 2018 season and is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the game.
Though his defense metrics from 2018 were questionable as he posted a -3.4 UZR, his offensive prowess and power is undeniable. The outfielder slugged .552 and yielded an excellent weighted On Base Average (wOBA) of 3.88.
With so much raw talent and already demonstrated skill, Atlanta's move to lock up their young star seems prescient and wise. ZIPS projects him to post just under 4 WAR in 2019, but there's good reason to think he'll do even better than that as he matures towards his prime years.
This contract is one of the biggest extensions for a pre-arbitration player in MLB history.
Mike Trout holds the record with a six-year, $144.5 million deal while Alex Bregman is a close second at five years and $100 million.
The Braves have the night off tonight so Acuna Jr. will have plenty of time to bask in the glory of his new deal. The Braves continue their 2019 campaign with a two game series against Chicago tomorrow.
Speaking of young sluggers in the NL East, the Mets' Pete Alonso had a different kind of good night yesterday.
