Three finalists were revealed by MLB for the MVP, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, and Manager of the Year awards in each league. See which two Braves stand a chance to win one of the major prizes.
Three candidates for four awards—three each for the American and National leagues—were unveiled by MLB last night. The 2023 Atlanta Braves regular season was outstanding, and as a result, they were nominated for two awards.
While we thought the other one would be possible, we considered one of these as a lock, so it’s good to see it receive the same kind of national esteem as the Braves. So without further ado, let’s analyze each nomination.
Ronald will compete against Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, two Los Angeles Dodgers, for the NL MVP award. Sadly, this indicates that Matt Olson of the Braves, at first base, narrowly missed being selected as a finalist. Olson finished first in MLB in 2023 with a 160 wRC+, home runs, and RBI. Based on Fangraphs, the three finalists tied for first place with 8.3 fWAR each, while Freeman came in third place with 7.9 fWAR. These three individuals were the top three finishers in total fWAR. Despite the strong arguments made by each player, many believe Ronald is the clear favorite to win his first MVP award. Betts and Freeman earned the award in 2018 and 2020, respectively, while playing for the Boston Red Sox and the Braves.
Atlanta Braves supporters had high hopes for Ronald Acuña Jr. to revert to his MVP form from 2021 before his season-ending knee injury in 2023. Even though it was evident that Acuña Jr. wasn’t completely well in 2022, he persevered throughout the season.
The best Ronald we have seen so far this year was this one. His three consecutive NL player of the month honors demonstrate exactly how consistent he was throughout the entire season. He was the best player in baseball from the first game on. That only goes to show how ridiculously skilled he is—he lowered his strikeout percentage in half without losing any of the pace or power with which he plays the game.
Ronald not only achieved unprecedented success in his personal career, but he also achieved feats never before seen in baseball history. Not only was he the first person to ever join the 30 homer and 60 stolen base club, but that was only the start. Acuña Jr. ended the season as the only 40/70 player in history. Though it might not be decided unanimously, let’s hope that Ronald wins his first NL MVP title on November 16th if the betting market is correct.
It’s harder than you might think to choose the Manager of the Year for the team with the best record. particularly in light of the fact that numerous analysts predicted the Braves would win the World Series throughout the preseason.
Frequently, this honor is given to the manager who turns around an underdog team and gets them into the postseason or to a winning record. For this reason, many consider Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker to be the front-runner. Snitker probably won’t get the award despite having 162 games with the greatest home run hitting lineup in history penciled in.
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