Major League Baseball

Ronald Acuña Jr. unanimously wins NL MVP following historic campaign

Updated Nov. 16, 2023 7:39 p.m. ET

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Ronald Acuña Jr. has been one of the better all-around players in baseball for years. He now has a case as the best. 

There's no debating it in the National League, as the Atlanta Braves' superstar outfielder won the 2023 NL MVP award Thursday while earning all 30 first-place votes. 

Acuña had a memorable campaign at the plate and on the basepaths, in what was his first full season back from the torn ACL he suffered in 2021. The 25-year-old slashed .337/.416/.546 while leading the majors in on-base percentage, hits (217) and runs (149) while leading the NL in OPS (1.012) and OPS+ (168). He added a career-high 41 homers and 106 RBIs.

Acuna's 73 stolen bases were also an MLB-high, as he joined the exclusive 40/40 club after narrowly missing the milestone in 2019 (41/37). But he wrote more history than that. No player with 40 homers had ever stolen even 50 bases, making Acuńa the founding member of the 40/70 club. 

Acuna's strong play all over the diamond made him the MVP favorite for much of the season. His odds to win the award briefly dropped below those of superstar Mookie Betts toward the end of August. But Acuña had a dominant showing at Betts' home stadium on Labor Day weekend, hitting .353 with three homers, six RBIs and two stolen bases to help the Braves take three of four games against the Dodgers. 

Acuña never looked back following that surge, as he slashed .340/.403/.708 with 11 homers, 23 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in the final month of the season while Atlanta finished with an MLB-best 104 wins. He is the eighth player in Braves history to win MVP and the second to take home the honor in the past four seasons (Freddie Freeman won in 2020).

With Shohei Ohtani also earning all 30 first-place votes in the American League race, this marks the first time both MVP winners won unanimously. 

Acuña beat out finalists and Dodgers teammates Betts and Freeman for the NL award. 

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