MLB analyst believes there is no stopping Ronald Acuña Jr. in Braves' star's quest for NL MVP honors
Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves is having a season for the ages. Two years after a torn ACL threatened the essence of his career, Ronnie is leaving no room for detractors.
The 25-year old Venezuelan is leading the NL in runs, hits, on-base percentage, and owns an eye-popping .336 batting average. Moreover, his 35 home runs and 64 stolen bases have made him the most recent edition to the highly-exclusive 30-60 club.
On account of the excellent season, many believe Ronald Acuña Jr. to be a shoe-in for the NL MVP Award. In 2019, he finished fifth in voting after hitting .280/.365/.518 with 37 steals and 127 runs scored - both figures that led the league.
"We would like to welcome y'all to the Ronald Acuña Jr. show." - MLB
Although Acuña Jr. has been lighting it up all year long, his last fifteen games have been particularly impressive. Over that period of time, Ronald Acuña Jr. is hitting .386/.453/.789 with an OPS of 1242 alongside 7 home runs and 19 RBIs.
In a recent appearance on Barstool Sports' Baseball Podcast, commentator Chris Castellani shared his stance that Ronald Acuna Jr. will win the NL MVP Award. Castellani claimed that "the guy homers every single day at this point."
While clearly an exaggeration, it does indeed seem like every ball off of Ronnie's bat is bound for the bleachers. The young stud homered twice in his team's September 7 8-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, and added another on the following night in Pittsburgh.
"Ronald Acuña Jr. on the Braves clinching a postseason berth:" - FAX Sports: MLB
With a record of 93-49, the Braves are the best team in all of MLB. Now with fifteen games seperating them and the Philadelphia Phillies, who hold on to second place in the NL East, the team recently clinched a playoff berth for the sixth straight year.
Anything less than an NL MVP Award will be a robbery of Ronald Acuña Jr.
Not only is Ronald Acuña Jr. putting up a historically strong season, but he is also having loads of fun doing it. One of the most exciting players ever, the stats that the youngster has put up this year are nothing less than MVP material. His unbelievable rebound from a torn ACL to demonstrating the kind of dominance we are now seeing is nothing short of remarkable. Should he be successful, he will be the first Venezuelan to win the MVP Award since Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers did so in 2013.