Ronald Acuna Jr.
The first half of the MLB season has come and gone, and the NL MVP race is heating up.
The AL MVP race is not particularly competitive this year, but the NL MVP is slightly closer.
In this article, I will highlight a few of the top contenders.
Click for live odds
Ronald Acuna Jr. leads this group. He has -425 odds of winning NL MVP (according to DraftKings). Acuna Jr. had dealt with injuries over the previous three seasons but has been healthy all of 2023.
The right fielder is yet to miss a game this season and has a .333 average, .414 on-base percentage, 23 home runs, 58 RBIs, 82 runs, 48 walks, 43 stolen bases, and a 5.4 WAR. Acuna does not strike out too much and knows how to make contact and hit for power at the plate.
He also has a ton of speed going down the line and is never an easy out. I do not see any other NL player taking this title away from him. Bet on Acuna to win NL MVP.
Mookie Betts has the second-best odds at 650. Betts may be having his best season at the plate. The 30-year-old is crushing the baseball and has 27 home runs and 65 RBIs.
He leads the Dodgers with 56 walks and is arguably more of a threat at the plate than Freddie Freeman.
Even though Betts is having an incredible season, he simply does not measure up to Ronald Acuna Jr. Acuna is making a larger impact and is a better option for this award.
NL MVP race |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Player | HRs | Ops | Rbi |
| 1 | Ronald Acuña Jr. | 23 | .978 | 58 |
| 2 | Freddie Freeman | 21 | .994 | 71 |
| 3 | Mookie Betts | 27 | .939 | 68 |
| 4 | Corbin Carroll | 21 | .910 | 57 |
| 5 | Christian Yelich | 15 | .866 | 58 |
The third and final player I will talk about is Luis Arraez. Arraez has the highest average in baseball at .378. He does not hit for power, but he is having a tremendous season.
He is continually getting hits and has 131 through 90 games. The second baseman is on track to eclipse the 200-hit mark this season.
However, Arraez is not particularly fast and has a WAR well below that of Ronald Acuna Jr., so I would not bet on him to be this year’s NL MVP.
It's so cool to see Cody Bellinger continuing to dominate pic.twitter.com/1gKzVobcLY
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| Title: NL MVP Season Update
| Author: Max Heering
| Date: Aug 2nd, 2023