8 Reasons Ronald Acuna Jr. Should Still Win NL MVP Over Mookie Betts
We break down the stats from all angles and explain why we think Ronald Acuna Jr. is still the National League MVP over Mookie Betts.
By Seth Carter
The Atlanta Braves have taken the first two games of a monumental matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves currently have the best record in all of baseball at 89-45. The Dodgers enter Saturday at 83-51, the second-best record in the NL, and tied for second-best in Major League Baseball with the Orioles.
2023 NL MVP Race Table of Contents
- NL MVP Race: Acuna vs. Betts - Batting Average
- NL MVP Race: Acuna vs. Betts - On-Base Percentage
- National League MVP Race: Acuna vs. Betts - OPS & SLG
- NL MVP Race: Acuna vs. Betts - Total Hits and K%
- National League MVP Race: Acuna vs. Betts - Runs Scored & Durability
- National League MVP Race: Acuna vs. Betts - Defense
- National League MVP Race: Acuna or Betts? Consistency Factor
- Conclusion: What About Steals!? Why Ronald Acuna Jr. Should be the MVP
This matchup carries a lot of history. It could be a preview of the NLCS this year. We'll have all the angles covered here at HTHB but today we look at the frontrunners for the MVP and why Ronald Acuna Jr. has the upper hand over Mookie Betts.
On Monday, Betts passed Acuna as the betting favorite to win the MVP. How did Acuna respond? He went 4-5 with four runs, five runs batted in, a walk, and two stolen bases. The steals gave him 60 on the season, putting him in rarified air. We'll get into that later.
Let's take a look stat by stat at why Ronald Acuna Jr. will win the MVP over Mookie Betts.