Former teammate of Hank Aaron compares Acuna to Braves great

Atlanta Braves prospect Ronald Acuna is already drawing comparisons to franchise legend Hank Aaron, despite not having played a single major-league game to date.

"If I put (the 20-year-old) Aaron and Acuna side by side, I think they would do the same thing," Ralph Garr, Aaron's former teammate and Braves scout, told Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

"Unless he gets injured or something, I think he has a chance to be in the Hall of Fame. I really do. But you can't put them ahead of the game. You've got to let them grow."

Acuna, 20, is considered the No. 2 prospect in baseball, behind only Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels. The outfielder is 15-for-36 with three home runs and four stolen bases in spring training this year. The young phenom has put together a 1.217 OPS across 44 plate appearances.

Garr, who shared an outfield with Aaron from 1968-74, was in Braves camp this spring serving as a guest instructor.

"I put him in the same class as the (Mike) Trouts and the (Bryce) Harpers," the 1974 All-Star and batting champ continued. "They're special people. Some people are just gifted."

As far as favorable comparisons go, Aaron is near-mythic in stature - particularly in Braves circles. The Hall of Famer is most famous for becoming the first hitter to break Babe Ruth’s home run record, which had stood for 39 years before the Braves great snapped it in 1974. Aaron went on to set a new milestone at 755, which Barry Bonds eclipsed in 2007.

Despite an unbelievably hot spring, Acuna may not break camp with the Braves due largely to service time concerns.