Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. Wins NL MVP After Historic Season

The outfielder made MLB history when he stole 70 bases and hit 40 home runs in a single season this year.

Ronald Acuña Jr. won the 2023 National League MVP Award on Thursday night, adding another prestigious honor to his résumé this year. He was a unanimous selection, earning all 30 first-place votes.

This is the Braves outfielder’s first time winning the NL MVP, although he won the NL Rookie of the Year Award back in 2018.

In 2023 alone, Acuña was named the NL Player of the Month twice (April, June), he earned his second Silver Slugger Award and he received the most National League votes for the All-Star Game to become one of the starting outfielders. 

On top of these achievements, Acuña made MLB history by becoming the first player to be in the 40–70 club, meaning he tallied 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a single season for the first time in league history. He ended up finishing the year with 73 steals and officially holds the record for the most stolen bases in a season in Braves history.

The 25-year-old becomes just the fifth Braves player since they began playing in Atlanta to win the NL MVP. The most recent player to earn the award was Freddie Freeman back in 2020, the year Atlanta won the World Series.

Acuña finished the 2023 season with averages of .337/.416/.596. He totaled the year with 217 hits, 149 runs, 106 RBI and 41 home runs.