New York Yankees great Alex Rodriguez believes Ronald Acuna Jr. has locked up the NL MVP - "I can't see anyone playing at a higher level than Acuna"
New York Yankees great Alex Rodriguez cannot get enough of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. this season. The slugger has been playing out of his mind this year and is the favorite to win the National League MVP Award.
Acuna Jr. is one of five players to have joined the 40-40 club (40 home runs and 40 steals in a single season). Rodriguez joined the club in 1998 with the Seattle Mariners.
Rodriguez could not hold back his excitement when speaking about Acuna Jr. He believes that the Braves slugger is the best player in the league and challenges anybody to show him otherwise.
He spoke with The Athletic about Ronald Acuna Jr.'s monster season:
"I can't see anyone playing at a higher level than Acuna" said Alex Rodriguez.
Rodriguez said Acuna Jr. did not just sneak into the 40-40 club; he kicked the door down. While the new rules make more stolen base attempts, that should not detract from how special a season he is having. He leads the league with 70 stolen bases.
The closest player to him is Oakland Athletics speedster Esteury Ruiz, who has swiped 65 bags. The list drops off significantly after those two, as Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Corbin Carroll is in third with 52 stolen bases.
Ronald Acuna Jr. and the Atlanta Braves are a scary team heading into the postseason
Ronald Acuna Jr. and the Atlanta Braves have had a stellar season thus far. They hold the league's best record at 102-56. They have already clinched the National League East and have their eyes set on the postseason.
This will be one team that everybody will want to stay away from. They have gotten exceptional play from the entire lineup. They have seven players who have hit over 20 home runs this season.
Five of those players have hit 30 or more home runs. Those players include Acuna, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Marcell Ozuna.
On the pitching side, the Braves have a strong rotation. Three starters have won over 10 games. Spencer Strider added to his stellar rookie season last year, compiling a 19-5 record with a 3.81 ERA on 181.2 innings of work.
The Braves are a complete team from top to bottom. However, given how well they have played so far, they will face immense pressure to finish the season with a World Series trophy.