Ronald Acuna Jr., MVP of the Braves, Challenging Ohtani & Judge for the MLB MVP Award

The league’s best player is Ronald Acuna Jr. We’ve finally established communication. That’s the way electricity works.

Is Ronald Acuna Jr. the most confident Major League Baseball player and the odds-on favourite to win the 2023 National League Most Valuable Player award?

With a record of 29-19, the Atlanta Braves are on pace to win their sixth consecutive National League East title, so it would be tempting to delegate this task to one of their other top players.

Recently, the star right-hander said of Acuna, “He’s the best player I’ve ever seen.” There’s nothing further to say; I can’t think of it. It’s hard to put into words how amazing it is. I’m happy he’s on our squad since he’s the best player in the league right now.
But Strider isn’t a fair judge, and there’s another issue as well: Both Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are still active MLB players with legitimate claims to becoming the league’s finest.

Judge is presently first in OPS for the second year in a row after hitting 62 home runs last season. Ohtani is just Ohtani. He also pitches and hits. A singer and dancer. A Funyuns cruncher.

After hearing Strider’s comments, this wasn’t the first thing that sprang to mind. Following the “Hmmm…What if he’s right?”

Trying to Dominate Major League Baseball

Let’s be honest: Ohtani is arguably the finest player in Major League Baseball. He has been 49 percent better and 55 percent better than the league average hitter over the last three years. Only one man is involved here. Totally insane.

However, attention now turns to Judge (heh) because of his 2022 performance, in which he demonstrated that a one-way player can still outperform Ohtani.

It was enough to finish first in the league in twenty or more statistically significant categories. Is Acquna still on her way? No. In any case, he’s making an effort.

The 25-year-old right fielder is first in the MLB in 10 statistical categories, including batting average (.427), walks (93), and runs scored (46). He also has 11 home runs and leads the National League with 20 stolen bases. In addition to leading the team in rWAR (2.9), he is also near the top in the following categories:

25 extra-bases hits, 3 behind The Inimitable Freddie Freeman

63 hits: 5 remaining Bo Bichette
1.015 OPS; .037 below Aaron Judge’s

.337 AVERAGE: .034 below par Jose Luis Arráez
110 Total Bases: , 2 Trailing by Freeman

After nearly winning Rookie of the Year and posting near-40/40 numbers in 2021, Acuna’s MVP bid was derailed by a damaged anterior cruciate ligament. Never mind, that was a long time ago. It happened so long ago that we may as well have put it in amber to keep it from decaying.

And maybe he hasn’t even reached his full potential yet. The Search for a Unique Holiday

While Acuna “only” has 11 home runs, he has been on a tear as of late, hitting eight in his previous 24 games. This puts him on par with Ohtani and three behind Judge.

This, combined with the widespread belief that he is capable of more home runs than he has so far, means that the current pace for 37 is unrealistically low. A score of 40 or so is probably adequate, but anything above that is unreasonable.

At the same time, Acuna is on pace for 213 hits, 155 runs, and 68 steals. Nobody has stolen that many bases since Juan Pierre in 2010, and since Ted Williams in 1949, only Jeff Bagwell (2000) has hit over 150. Alex Rodriguez in 1998 was the only member of the 40/40 Club to also collect 200 hits.

It should go without saying that these predictions only apply to 162 games. It’s highly doubtful that Acuna will play in every game, and maintaining his current level of dominance will be extremely difficult for him. And, hey, why not?

Even though he hasn’t played in all 162 games in the majors yet, he played in 156 this year. Also, anyone looking for signs that he’s pushing the pace too much offensively should know that they won’t find any. He has underperformed, if anything.

Furthermore, who is to say that a baseball discussion can’t also include entertainment value?

Bear in mind that neither Ohtani nor Judge is dull. The latter is unflappable, but has a great sense of sardonic humour. In regards to the former, only Drew Smyly is more cheerful on the baseball pitch.

The efficiency with which Judge and Ohtani carry out their duties is also noteworthy. It would be unfair to label them as enthusiasts of excessive force. Which is good, but it does highlight how much Acuna enjoys and excels at excess.

Take, as an illustration, his performance from last Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. When Acuna should have advanced to second on a walk to Matt Olson, he instead took third because he saw a sleeping Max Muncy.

Was that really required? There was no need for that. It didn’t hurt, and there was a “I did it because I could” vibe about Acuna’s expression as he got up and dusted himself off.

Which seems to sum up his entire brand. Since making his professional debut in 2018, he has hit a total of seven home runs with a distance of at least 450 feet. And in his ridiculous lead this season in batted balls travelling at 105 mph or faster. And when a baserunner has zero interest in testing his arm strength, he’ll go ahead and demonstrate it anyhow.

Acuna also happens to be first in MLB for the illustrious statistic HtGWCHP, which stands for “Hitting the Griddy While Crossing Home Plate”.

Comparisons between Acuna and Judge and Ohtani are ultimately unfair.

When Manny Machado compared Acuna in April to Ken Griffey Jr., he was on to something. His fame stems from more than simply his immense ability. It’s also a C-Word Adventure where you get to make your own choices. charisma, personality, and coolness. Whatever. What he needs, he now possesses.

It’s one of the reasons why he’s such a captivating performer on the pitch. His gravity rivals the intensity of his luminosity.

Whether you believe he is the best or just one of the best, you can’t deny that he deserves to win the NL MVP and that MLB is fortunate to have him.

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