Acuña merchandise is expected to sell out, but more Acuña-related product will be added to the team storeGETTY IMAGES
Braves LF Ronald Acuña Jr. will make his much-anticipated home debut Friday at SunTrust Park, and the Braves have stocked the ballpark's team store with his No. 13 jerseys, T-shirt jerseys and other merchandise in preparation for the heralded rookie’s arrival. Braves Senior VP/Marketing Adam Zimmerman said the buzz from fans surrounding Acuña merch started during Spring Training after the 20-year-old led the team in batting average and home runs. Zimmerman: “Our fans have been excited about this kid for a long time, so we think that will translate into merchandise sales.” Zimmerman noted the Braves expect to sell out of Acuña merch on Friday with the large turnout of fans expected for their “Star Wars Night” promotion, but will add more Acuña-related products over the next several weeks. Acuña has lived up to the hype since being called up April 25, and Zimmerman said his early success, paired with the performance of 2B Ozzie Albies, has created a strong desire from fans for their merch that is reminiscent of when highly-touted 1B Freddie Freeman and former OF Jason Heyward came up with the club.
TAKING IT SLOW: Despite Acuña's good start, Zimmerman said there are currently no plans to feature him in any upcoming marketing efforts. The Braves have most of their promotions for this season already pre-planned, but Zimmerman said if Acuña “continues to put up remarkable numbers, we’ll obviously take a look and see what we might be able to do.” Additionally, with the Braves sporting a 17-11 record, the SunTrust Park team store has seen an increase in merch sales across the board. Zimmerman: “We've gotten a lot of enthusiasm and excitement, people are really excited to come see this team and watch them play, and that has translated to more merchandise sales.”
