Ronald Acuña Jr. Historic Season Ends with a MVP Award

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr won the 2023 NL MVP award by unanimous vote on Thursday night.

Acuña secured NL MVP at the age of 25 years old. Season six for Acuña was the best of his career, as it was the first time he received the award.

Acuña Jr made his MLB debut back in 2018 for Atlanta. Since breaking onto the scene, he has earned himself plenty of hardware. He is a four-time all-star, two-time All-Mlb selection, former rookie of the year, two-time silver slugger, and NL stolen base leader in 2019 and 2023. He was also a key contributor in the first half of the 2021 season for the Braves before he tore his ACL and was lost for the season. The Braves went on to win the World Series championship that season against the Houston Astros.

Acuña joins an elite trio of Venezuelans to win the MVP award in the MLB. The two others were Miguel Cabrera and Jose Altuve. Cabrera won the award a pair of times in 2012 and 2013 while playing for the Detroit Tigers. Altuve won it back in 2017 for the Astros.

The 2023 season was two seasons removed from his ACL injury. The season was a comeback for Acuña. He saw a dip in his production in 2022, where he had a batting average of 266 and hit 15 home runs with 50 runs batted in. Marking his second-worst performance as a pro. These numbers are fairly low for a superstar like Acuña.

Acuña was spectacular for Atlanta this season and the clear-cut best player in the NL. His season statistics were a .337 batting average, 41 home runs, 106 RBIs, 73 stolen bases, 217 hits, and an on-base percentage of 416. Acuña was the best player on the best team as Atlanta finished with a league-high 104 wins and the number one seed in the playoffs. He was the first player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases.

Ultimately, Atlanta was bounced out of the playoffs in the first round by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Acuña is the ninth player in Atlanta Braves history to win the MVP award.

The future is bright for Acuña Jr, who is a global superstar in the game of baseball.