Dodgers Rumors: Insider Predicts LA Stars Fall Short in NL MVP Race

Will LA's dynamic duo not get the hardware?

Matt Wagner | Sep 19, 2023

Dodgers Rumors: Insider Predicts LA Stars Fall Short in NL MVP Race /

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have each had incredible seasons for the Dodgers.

The star duo has been the top 1-2 punch in the sport and they played a sizable part in the team climbing from third place in the NL West earlier this season to the second best record in the National League.

Despite that, Jim Bowden of The Athletic sees both falling short in a stacked NL MVP race.

He has Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. taking home the award, Betts trailing in second place, Acuna's Atlanta teammate Matt Olson finishing third, and Freeman rounding out the top four behind him.

Bowden's rationale for Acuna over Betts is that the former leads him in most batting average-type categories. Acuna holds the advantage in average -- .336 to .308 -- and has a slight lead in on-base percentage -- .417 to .409. Additionally, the Braves superstars 66 stolen bases play a significant part in Bowden's calculus.

While Freeman and Olson have each had great years, it seems like Bowden sees the MVP as a two-man race. However, he did complement each first baseman in his piece.

"Olson (52 homers, 129 RBIs, 162 OPS+) and Freeman (.335 average, 55 doubles, 162 OPS+) deserve mention for their outstanding seasons."

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Jim Bowden of The Athletic

Freeman in particular has had an outstanding campaign, and the Southern California native and second-year Dodger recently set a franchise record for doubles in a season.

And with 13 games remaining in the regular season, there's plenty of time for Freeman to keep adding to his mark -- and 60 doesn't seem out of reach.

Published Sep 19, 2023

MATT WAGNER

Matt Wagner was born and raised in southern California, and he lived there before moving to Colorado and getting his B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2022. He relocated back to southern California in 2023 and is looking forward to covering the teams that mean so much to his home area. Some of his past work is in Bleacher Report, Dodgers Tailgate, and, most recently, Colorado Buffaloes Wire. Aside from writing, you can probably catch him petting the nearest dog or eating some good Mexican food.