When Atlanta Braves veterans gave Ronald Acuna Jr. a rocky start in the team in the All-Star's rookie year
In April 2022, Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. incited uproar by declaring that he would miss "nothing" about his former teammate during an Instagram live with Dominican journalist Yancen Pujols.
Apparently, in March 2022, LA Dodgers star Freddie Freeman took the challenging decision to bid goodbye to the Atlanta Braves after 12 MLB seasons with the club. While the entire MLB world was still recovering from the shocking move, Acuna's comment added fuel to the fire.
After facing heavy backlash, he emphasized that part of his annoyance with Freddie is due to an event during Ronald's rookie year. In 2018, Freeman and a few other seasoned players allegedly pulled the rookie outfielder away, took his eye black, and adjusted his hat and sunglasses to teach the organization rules.
However, the gesture from the senior players didn't sit well with Ronald. He went on to complain about how his "swagger" was not well received by the Atlanta Braves.
Acuña explained:
"When you come up as a rookie, there’s always somebody who wants to stick it to you. You come with your swagger from the Minor Leagues. … A lot of people look at it as wrong and I don’t look at it as wrong because it’s part of the game.”
Ronald Acuña Jr. says he won’t miss Freddie Freeman because of the way he was treated as a rookie
He said the veterans would adjust his hat and clean the eyeblack off his face and say “we don’t do that here”
(h/t @JoezMcfLy) twitter.com/gifs_baseball/…
"Ronald Acuña Jr. says he won’t miss Freddie Freeman because of the way he was treated as a rookie." - Jomboy Media
When interrogated about his controversial statements, Acuna Jr. said his words were "blown out of proportion.”
Freddie Freeman chose the diplomatic route when asked about Ronald Acuna Jr.'s opinion
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman chose to answer diplomatically when asked about Ronald Acuna Jr.'s accusations. In an interview with MLB Network, Freeman mentioned the Atlanta veterans were working to follow the "organizational norms" that the Braves had in place.
Freeman said:
“When you put on a Braves uniform, that’s just kind of what happens there. I didn’t view it as any friction or clashes or anything like that. I loved Ronald. I still love Ronald. I’m gonna miss Ronald. My family is going to miss Ronald, and I can’t wait for him to get on the field again because the game of baseball needs him.”
Freddie Freeman says the Braves were trying to teach Ronald Acuña Jr. “organizational rules” by removing his eye black and adjusting his hat and sunglasses
“I didn’t view it as any friction or clashes… I still love Ronald.” https://t.co/l6xpyslIlB
"Freddie Freeman says the Braves were trying to teach Ronald Acuna Jr. “organizational rules” by removing his eye black and adjusting his hat and sunglasses." - Jomboy Media
Freeman further said that it's sad that Ronald Acuna Jr. took his gesture to heart during his rookie year with the Braves.