Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr. and Freddie Freeman Among Favorites to Win NL MVP

A recent betting line for the 2020 NL MVP was released and the Atlanta Braves had two players who were listed among the favorites.

It’s not much of a surprise to Atlanta Braves fans to see Ronald Acuña Jr. and Freddie Freeman listed among some of the best players in the league. We all know how great they are, and while Freddie has been overlooked for years he’s finally starting to get the recognition he deserves.

Many already think Acuna could be the next big superstar in the sport who could potentially push Mike Trout as the best player in baseball.

We’ll let the kid play a little more before jumping to such high conclusions, but there is no denying that the Braves have two of the  best players in the game and they’ll be vying for the NL MVP trophy for the next several years.

The Action Network recently posted their betting lines for the 2020 NL MVP in a shortened 60-game season. Acuna and Freeman were both featured in the top 10.

Now, I’m not a gambler and don’t know much about how betting lines work, but I’m going to take a guess and say that Acuna is tied as the favorite to win the award along with Mookie Betts and Christian Yelich at +600.

Freddie just barely makes the cut at +2000 (whatever that means) and I’m sure he and Acuna will cancel each other out a bit just like Mookie with Cody Bellinger.

Anything can happen in such a short season, and who knows what numbers each player will need to hit to be considered for the MVP.

Through the first 60 games of the 2019 season, Bellinger hit .370 with 20 home runs, 51 runs scored, and 54 RBI.

I’d think if anyone gets close to that kind of production in 2020 they would certainly be the favorite to win the MVP, which Bellinger eventually did in 2019.

Somebody is going to catch fire in those 60 games and put up some ridiculous numbers.

I think Acuan and Freeman are both capable and have had similar stretches in their careers.

In the last 60 games of the 2018 season (July 30, 2018-September 30,2018), Acuna hit .325 with 17 home runs, scored 47 runs, drove in 40, and stole 11 bases.

And we all know Freddie has had some amazing hot stretches in his career where he’s carried the team.

I think it’s more than possible that either one of them could stay hot for 60 games and earn some hardware at the end of the 2020 season.