Atlanta Braves: Ronald Acuna Jr. eyeing Rickey Henderson

In just 291 career games, Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. is serving notice that Rickey Henderso may lose one of his crowns.

At just 22 years old, Ronald Acuna Jr. has cemented himself as one of the bright young stars in the game. The Atlanta Braves center fielder possesses an incredible blend of power and speed, making him one of the more dynamic players in the majors. It is understandable as to why he had been projected for greatness almost from the moment that he came stateside.

On Friday, Acuna showed that he may not only be destined for greatness, but that he could have it squarely in the crosshairs as well as he hit another leadoff home run.

Obviously, Acuna has a long way to go to get to Rickey Henderson and his 81 leadoff home runs. He also has a long way to go to reach the top ten all time, with Charlie Blackmon and George Springer each having 36 leadoff homers.

But Acuna is just 22 years old, and has played all of 291 games. His 17 leadoff homers are an impressive total for someone who has yet to appear in two full seasons worth of games. He has plenty of time to climb that list.

The sky is seemingly the limit with Acuna. Heading into Friday, he had produced a .266/.389/.532 batting line, hitting five homers and six doubles in 95 plate appearances. Yet, those numbers pale in comparison to his stellar 2019 campaign, when he led the National League with 41 steals and narrowly missed being the fifth 40-40 player in MLB history by hitting 37 homers.

Obviously, Acuna has a long way to go to reach Henderson, or any of the other players on that list. But he has begun to establish himself as one of the better power hitters in the game, especially out of the leadoff spot. It is a long road, but Acuna has sped along the path thus far.

Can Robert Acuna Jr. pass Rickey Henderson as the all time leadoff home run hitter? At this pace, the Atlanta Braves star could have a chance.