Who is Ronald Acuña Jr's biggest competitor in the NL MVP race?
Ronald Acuña Jr. has been on another level this season.
The Braves' right fielder is slashing .332/.411/.575 and has an OPS of .984. Throw in 28 home runs and 74 RBI and a monstrous 56 stolen bases and you become a hard man to beat out for MVP.
In his five seasons with the Braves, Acuña has put together an extensive resume including Rookie of the Year in 2018 and Silver Slugger awards in 2019 and 2020. NL MVP, however, has narrowly missed his grasp.
Who are some players who could stand in the way of Acuña earning MVP honors for the first time?
Luis Arraez, Miami Marlins
Arraez, the Marlins' second baseman, has a commanding lead over the whole league in batting average at .358. An on-base percentage of .401 and a slugging percentage of .460 on top of that makes for an MVP-caliber season. Arraez only has five home runs to his name which could be a deal-breaker.
Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
Freeman, the Dodgers first baseman, is a player that Braves fans know all too well. He played 12 seasons in Atlanta and was a vital part of the 2021 World Series team. Freeman was named NL MVP in 2020 but is making a case to do so again this season.
Freeman is slashing .333/.411/.575 and has an OPS of .986. His 23 home runs and 83 RBI make his case even stronger.
There are not many players who can hang with Acuña this season, but these two certainly can. Time will tell who is able to beat out the others in the race for NL MVP in 2023. Here's some other competitors to Ronald's attempt to win MVP we discussed a few weeks ago:
READ: Could Ronald Acuña Jr. actually win the National League MVP award?
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