Braves Acuña Gets Superstar Treatment in First Winter Ball Action

The Atlanta Braves all-star got an experience that would surprise nearly all top ballplayers in the game

Acuña got some Barry Bonds-type treatment | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Ronald Acuña Jr. made his winter league debut down in Venezuela on Friday night. The Atlanta Braves' superstar right fielder immediately received the treatment that most superstars couldn't imagine seeing. There is one, perhaps, and even he would likely have been surprised.

In a Barry Bonds-style treatment, opposing manager Ozzie Guillén (yes, the former Chicago White Sox manager) intentionally walked Acuña to lead off the game. As he was informed of the intentional walk, he gave a look on his face that they had to be kidding him.

¡Boleto intencional en el primer turno! 👀

Ozzie Guillén ordenó dar las cuatro malas a Ronald Acuña Jr. en su primer turno del juego. El mánager de Tigres se tomó la decisión de forma jocosa, sabiendo de la buena relación que existe entre ambos. 😅

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Guillén tipped his cap with a smile from the dugout. He wanted to acknowledge that the decision was all in good fun.

Acuña reached base again in the third inning, once again on an intentional walk. This time, it would come back to bite Guillén.

He swiped second base to put himself in scoring position. He came around to score on a single by Jadher Areinamo. That gave the Tiburones a 1-0 lead in the game, a lead that would never be relinquished.

¡ROBADA Y ANOTADA! 😤

Ronald Acuña Jr. se robó la segunda base y, posteriormente, anotó tras el sencillo de Jadher Areinamo. 🔥

🐯ARA 0-1 LAG🦈 | 3er inning ⬇️

Cortesía: IVC

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The Tiburones smacked the Tigres 11-0 to pick up in style. Fireworks went off like it was a holiday as the team and the fans celebrated. Eight of those runs came during a rally in the fifth inning. During the rally, Acuña drove in a run via a sacrifice groundout to shortstop.

Acuña is coming off a comeback season that saw him once again be voted as a starting outfielder for the National League in the All-Star Game. In 95 games, he batted .290 with a .935 OPS, 21 home runs and 42 RBIs. Despite the missed time, he finished tied with Marcell Ozuna for second on the team in home runs behind Matt Olson (29).

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Stolen bases, by design, weren’t the feature of his game that they typically are, though it finally got to be down in Venezuela. That was done in an effort to keep him healthy and ease him back in. However, his bat on its own is still all-star caliber.

The five-time all-star will get to have a more normal offseason this year along with actually getting to participate in Spring Training. That should put Acuña in the position to be in even stronger shape and ready to take what we saw in 2025 and turn up the dial again.

Any reps he gets down in Venezuela will help make up for any lost action from earlier in the regular season. So far, it's been almost like an exhibition atmosphere for him individually. There is emphasis on the individual because this is a real game that matters. We'll see what he gets to do in games going forward.