By: Josh Praigg

Buckle up folks, it’s time. The Ronald Acuña era has officially begun in Atlanta. Braves’ beat writer Mark Bowman released that Acuña would be joining the team for game 3 of the Cincinnati Reds series. Braves fans have had their eye on Acuña ever since he signed by the Braves out of Venezuela. But, Acuña really had his coming out party last year when he won USA Today Minor League Player of the Year, Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year and then won MVP in the Arizona Fall League. Acuña continued his success going into spring training where he showed why he was one of baseball’s top prospects. Because of contract constraints, the Braves were forced to send Acuña to AAA Gwinnett in order to maintain control over him for an extra year. Acuña began the year slow, but has recently been on fire.

It has yet to be announced what roster moves the Braves will pull in order to make room for Acuña. But, it looks like a pitcher may be moved in order to make room for him. Now, this is where the discussion begins. Where do the Braves put Acuña? It seems as if the only outfielder who has cemented his spot in the lineup is Gold Glove CF Ender Inciarte. But, both Preston Tucker and Nick Markakis should be looking over their shoulder with this breaking news. Now, who is going to lose playing time to the No. 1 prospect in the MLB. Well, let’s look at the arguments for both players.

Nick Markakis

Nick Markakis has been the face of consistency during his stint in Atlanta. Or, so you thought. Although Markakis still shows flashes of his days as a Gold Glover, his bat continues to decline at age 34. In his 3 years in Atlanta (2015-2017) his average has been .296, .269, and .275 respectively. Although these numbers are about average for an aging MLB player, Markakis provides no pop in a Braves lineup that sorely needs power. Not only is Markakis old, but he is currently in the last year of his contract that is still worth $11 Million. The Braves have no reason to resign Markakis going forward with Dustin Pederson making waves in AAA Gwinnett.

Preston Tucker

Preston Tucker’s road to the Bigs has been a wild one. Tucker was called up by the Astros in 2016 with a lot of hype. He was a power lefty who could change games with a swing of the bat. But, soon after coming up he was injured. Unfortunately for Tucker, rising star George Springer was waiting in the minors and took his job. Currently, Tucker is only on a 1-year $565,000 contract. Not only does he have a cheaper contract, but he is substantially younger than Markakis. Tucker has a much better chance of have a Braves career after year. And the Braves should start their future rather than holding on to Markakis.

With Braves phenom Ronald Acuña coming up today, the road for Nick Markakis should be coming to an end. He probably will not be released or traded any time soon, but look for him to be on the move come the Trade Deadline.



With Acuña’s call up today, there are some questions that still need answered. But one thing is certain, Acuna is the start of something special in Atlanta.

*All stats came from MLB.com and MiLB.com