5. Ronald Acuna Jr.wins 2021 NL MVP (Freddie Freeman Finishes Top 5)
This is the year for Ronald Acuna Jr. to win the NL MVP. Acuna is entering year four of his young MLB career, and the 23-year old is set to have his best season yet.
Acuna had a strong 2020 season where he finished 12th in NL MVP voting, as well as winning a Silver Slugger. As you can see, Acuna’s shortened 2020 season was still a productive one for the young Atlanta Braves star.
Ronald Acuna Jr. 2020 stats (46 games) – .250 AVG, 46 R, 14 HR, 29 RBI, 8 SB, .406 OBP, .581 SLG, .987 OPS
Obviously, it’s difficult to compare stats from the shortened 2020 MLB season to a full season, but if you were to look at some projections for Acuna this season, it’s easy to see why he is a popular MVP pick.
Ronald Acuna Jr. 2021 Projections (baseball-reference.com) – .276 AVG, 97 R, 31 HR, 77 RBI, 22 SB, .372 OBP, .531 SLG, .903 OPS.
While you could argue that a few of these categories will easily be topped (RBI and SB in particular), Acuna would be set for career-highs in a few categories in particular over a full MLB season.
Atlanta will have two legit MVP candidates this season. While 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman will certainly be in the mix, I’ll take my chances with Ronald Acuna Jr. winning the first MVP of many with the Braves in his career in 2021.