Ronald Acuna Jr. could compete for his second NL MVP crown this season. Robert Sabo for NY Post For the first time in two years, Ronald Acuña Jr. enters the season fully healthy, and just might be Shohei Ohtani’s biggest competition for the National League Most Valuable Player award.
The Braves star returned in late May – almost a year after suffering an ACL tear while running the bases a season prior – and picked up right where he left off.
In 95 games, Acuña hit .290/.417/.518 with 21 home runs, 42 RBIs and nine stolen bases as he eased back into action.
The bat was apparently well ahead of his legs with numbers like those, and still, oddsmakers are discounting him this spring, pegging his full-season home run Over/Under at just 27.5 at most major sportsbooks.
If Acuña can just maintain the pace he had last season, he will hit well over 30 dingers. If he can get anywhere near the level he was a few years ago, Acuña can easily hit 40 bombs.
While his power came back immediately, Acuña didn’t steal bases as he had before the injury, which is an understandable difference given the leg issue.
But there’s reason to believe he could return to the historic levels he was at pre-2024, stealing two bases in just 13 plate appearances so far this spring in games that mean nothing in the standings.
Acuña’s stolen base rate should stay around the same area, if not improve, once the regular season hits.
If the swipes do indeed come back, I expect Acuña to approach the wild numbers he put up in 2023 when he hit .337/.416/.596 with 41 long balls and a ridiculous 73 steals en route to the NL MVP, setting him up to win the award for the second time in his career and potentially becoming the first player ever to have multiple 40-40 seasons.
Ronald Acuna Jr. with Team Venezuela during the WBC. Getty Images He’s going to need to put up massive numbers to dethrone the back-to-back NL MVP winner in Ohtani, but there are two things narratively working in Acuña’s favor.
First, the Braves are due for a bounce-back campaign.
After a disappointing 2025 season, Atlanta still has one of the most talented rosters in baseball, injuries to the pitching staff aside.
A division title in a tough NL East will go a long way for Acuña, who won’t be discredited for a stacked roster alongside him like Ohtani will with his star-studded teammates in Los Angeles.
Then, there’s the ever-present factor of voting fatigue.
While media members will forever be fascinated with Ohtani, even LeBron James and Barry Bonds had MVP awards taken away from them when voters went looking for a different flavor.
With Opening Day now just weeks away, Acuña remains one of the most undervalued players on the board.
The plays: Ronald Acuña Jr. to win NL MVP (+1400, FanDuel) | Over 27.5 home runs (-130, DraftKings)
Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
