Advice from Albies will prove valuable to Acuna

ATLANTA — Johan Camargo screamed into the phone and his agent switched flights from Orlando to Atlanta, but perhaps nobody enjoyed Ozzie Albies’ major-league promotion last August more than Ronald Acuña.

The Atlanta Braves’ superstar prospect joined Albies, another former amateur free-agent signing who rocketed up through the minors, at Triple-A Gwinnett last summer during his meteoric rise that eventually landed him Baseball America’s Minor-League Player of the Year honors. The two phenoms are close and looking to quickly become teammates once again, which appears to be only matter of time.

The moment the 20-year-old infielder’s phone rang, the countdown began for the 19-year-old outfielder to follow in his footsteps.

“Now hopefully it’s my turn,” said Acuña, who posted an .896 OPS across three levels last season. “I’m just waiting for my chance and hopefully we can be reunited and playing on the field together again.”

It’s no secret that Albies and Acuña will play together in 2018, as both are prominent figures in the franchise’s future optimism. In his two-month burst to end the major-league season, Albies was one of the best rookies in baseball — finishing 12th in wins above replacement among first-year players despite playing in just 57 games, producing at an elite offensive pace for his age — and Acuña is considered a Rookie of the Year candidate before facing a single major-league pitch.

Source: www.foxsports.com/south/story/ronald-acuna-ozzie-albies-advice-atlanta-braves-012818