“He’s 19, going to play 19 all year,” Snitker said of Acuna. “He’s going to be a young big leaguer. He’s just one of those guys. Reminds me of Andruw running around out there at 19 years old.”

Snitker wasn’t predicting Acuna would be a 19-year-old major leaguer, but it won’t surprise anyone if the kid reaches the major leaguers in the not-very-distant future.

Acuna hit .312 with a .392 on-base percentage, four home runs and 14 stolen bases in 42 games last season, including 40 games at low-A Rome, but missed much of the season after a June thumb injury. So the Braves sent him to Australia for winter ball, where he made the All-Star team while playing with and against mostly players who were significantly older.

Acuna figures prominently in the Braves’ long-term plans. For now, they’ll be content to watch him in early spring appearances with the big-league team before minor league camp gets going full-bore next week. (The Braves had some of their better prospects in minor league camp early for a mini-camp.)

He’s considered an extra brought from minor league camp to fill out the roster, but Acuna showed Thursday why he’s so much more than that.

From Spring Training