Ronald Acuna

Acuna was a popular pick at number one overall last offseason, and while he didn't finish as the year's best player, it's hard to say he had a disappointing campaign. His .250/.406/.581 line was good for career highs in the latter two categories and led to a career-best 159 wRC+, though his 30-point drop in average was a blow to fantasy players in most formats. His overall output was also held back by the fact that he appeared in just 45 games, missing time due to a wrist issue among other minor ailments. When active, however, the third-year outfielder demonstrated growth in important areas, improving his BB% from 10.6% to 18.8% while increasing his exit velocity from 90.6 mph to 92.4 mph. If his average remains mediocre this season (his .254 xBA suggests he didn't underachieve there), it will hurt his fantasy value by a small amount, but the overall picture here is of a young phenom continuing to grow.

We may now have the answer to the question: "Who else would you draft 1.1 besides Mike Trout?" Acuna Jr., before his 22nd birthday, led all players in fantasy earned auction value last year while nearly pulling off a 40-40 season, slightly edging out Cody Bellinger in overall value. Christian Yelich would have likely won the title had his season not ended prematurely, but the fact Acuna Jr. began 2017 in High-A and ended 2019 as he did is an astounding feat. His barrel rate last season was in the 95th percentile, as was his xSLG and overall offensive production when putting the ball in play. There simply are not enough superlatives to describe what Acuna Jr. can bring to a fantasy roster as he contributes to all five categories and does so exceedingly well in four of them. His deal keeps him in Atlanta for the foreseeable future and health would be the only thing that could derail this production train.

A lot of top prospects fail to live up to the hype. Acuna was not one of them. After receiving the "Kris Bryant Treatment," Acuna got the call to Atlanta on April 25 and ended up returning top-20 value in the outfield in just 487 plate appearances. The incredible bat speed he showed as a prospect manifested itself right away with Acuna hitting for both average and power. His barrel rate of 8.6 Brls/PA was a top-20 mark in baseball (min. 150 batted-ball events), and his recorded sprint speed was also elite. It's incredible to think of what the numbers could have looked like had Acuna not missed a month with a knee sprain. While it's not wise to prorate stats for most players, Acuna is the rare exception with whom it's totally plausible to think he could keep up a similar rate of production over the course of a full season. There is some swing and miss here (25.3%), but Acuna may lead off for the Braves and his physical tools are right up there with the best of the best.

Not only is Acuna the best prospect in baseball, he might be the best prospect to come along since Mike Trout and Bryce Harper were competing for pole position in 2012. It's incredibly rare for a 19-year-old prospect to earn a promotion to Triple-A, but Acuna, who opened the year at High-A, didn't just stop by to get a lay of the land. He was immediately the best player in the International League and was 62 percent better than the league's average hitter (162 wRC+) over 54 games. Dripping with fantasy-relevant tools, Acuna has the speed to steal 30-plus bases, enough power to hit 30-plus homers and the approach and bat-to-ball skills to hit .300. While he didn't show the same patience last year that he did in his first two professional seasons, he will be an OBP monster when appropriate fear is established in the minds of big-league pitchers. Acuna will be promoted to the majors in mid April, once the Braves have secured an extra year of control, and he could be a five-category force from Day 1.

An under-the-radar July 2 international signee out of Venezuela in 2014, Acuna has hit at every stop in pro ball, showcasing high-end tools along the way. He missed 15 weeks in the middle of the season with a thumb injury, but his .819 OPS would have ranked sixth in the Sally League, just behind top Rockies prospect Brendan Rodgers, if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. At 18, he would have been easily the youngest player in the top-10 on that leaderboard, and his 14 steals in just 40 games serve as another separator. The case can be made that on a per-game basis, Acuna was the most impressive hitter in Low-A last year, when factoring in age. He projects to grow into plus power and should maintain above average speed through his prime years, but we won't know what kind of hitter Acuna will be until he gets a taste of quality offspeed stuff at Double-A and Triple-A.