2023 MLB Awards: Top 5 NL MVP Award Candidates

Ronald Acuna Jr., Freddie Freeman, Corbin Carroll, Mookie Betts and Matt Olson are all worthy candidates for the 2023 National League MVP Award, but who will win the award?

Major League Baseball awards voting for the 2023 season has already taken place.

Winners of the American League and National League Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young and MVP Awards will all be named in November, upon the conclusion of the World Series.

As part of our 2023 MLB award selections, here are our top five National League Most Valuable Player Award candidates:

5) Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

155 G, .285/.362/.868, 25 HR, 76 RBI, 54 SB, 134 OPS+, 5.4 WAR

Corbin Carroll's electric first year in the big leagues not only will earn him NL Rookie of the Year honors, but it should also put the 23 year-old within the top-5 of NL MVP voting. Carroll slashed .285/.362/.868 with 25 homers and 54 stolen bases, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to the postseason for the first time since 2017.

4) Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers

161 G, .331/.410/.976, 29 HR, 102 RBI, 23 SB, 161 OPS+, 6.6 WAR

The top-4 in the NL is a tight bunch spread across two teams. Freddie Freeman's five-year, $125 million contract continues to look like a bargain for the Los Angeles Dodgers, especially considering how high the price tags were on free agent shortstops Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson and Trea Turner last winter. In 2023, Freeman slashed .331/.410/.976 with 29 home runs and 102 RBI.

3) Matt Olson, 1B, Atlanta Braves

162 G, .283/.389/.993, 54 HR, 139 RBI, 1 SB, 162 OPS+, 7.4 WAR

It was a close call, but Matt Olson slightly edges out the man he replaced in Atlanta. In his second year with the Braves, Olson posted career highs in home runs, RBI, Batting Average, On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage. Olson led the league in home runs, RBI and SLG. His balance of power and contact numbers plus the knack for driving in runs, gives him the bronze medal.

2) Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves

159 G, .337/.416/1.012, 41 HR, 106 RBI, 73 SB, 168 OPS+, 8.1 WAR

Acuna is the odds-on favorite and will most likely win his first MVP Award later this fall, but we went in a different direction...

1) Mookie Betts, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

152 G, .307/.408/.987, 39 HR, 107 RBI, 14 SB, 163 OPS+, 8.4 WAR

Acuna had an amazing year. He posted the first 40-70 season in baseball history, while leading the NL in OPS. But if we're giving out an award for the most *valuable* player in the National League, it should go to Mookie Betts.

The 2023 Braves may have the best offense in the sport's history. Did Atlanta really need Acuna to steal 73 bases? Wouldn't they have still scored him most of the time if he had stayed on first base, especially with Matt Olson — and his 54 home runs — hitting behind him? It's worth noting that Acuna also led the NL in caught stealing (14) and thanks to MLB's new rule changes, it has become much easier to steal bases than in past years. There will be more players that swipe 70+ bases in the future. Furthermore, if the Braves didn't have Acuna, wouldn't they still have an elite offense? Wouldn't they still win the NL East?

One more note on Acuna: defensively, the right fielder hurt the Braves. Acuna logged a -2 in Defensive Runs Saved and placed 119th out of 126 qualified outfielders in Outs Above Average, posting a -9 on the season.

Conversely, the Dodgers had a six-time Gold Glover play three different positions for them, logging 10 DRS. Betts may not have posted the gaudy stolen base numbers, but his OPS+, home run and RBI totals are near-identical to Acuna. In a transitional year for Los Angeles, one could argue that more was asked of Betts. He played 65 games at second base and 14 at shortstop, in addition to manning right field for 98 games, helping his team win 100 games for the third straight year. 

In my opinion, the loss of Betts would hurt the Dodgers more than losing Acuna would hurt the Braves. After all, Atlanta won the World Series less than two years ago with Acuna on the IL. By definition, Betts is more valuable than Acuna. And for that reason, Betts is the 2023 National League Most Valuable Player.