MLB Network regarded reigning National League Most Valuable Player Ronald Acuña Jr. as the best player in Major League Baseball. The Venezuelan took the number one spot in the Top 100 Right Now list mainly due to his impressive 2023 season.
Last season, he led the league in hits (217), runs (149), stolen bases (73), total bases (383), and on-base percentage (.416). He also topped the National League in at-bats (643), plate appearances (735), and OPS (1.012) while finishing second in batting average (.337).
His OPS+ of 168 is third-best among all players, while his .596 slugging percentage puts him in fourth. Acuña finished fifth in home runs (41) and tied for eighth in runs batted in (106).
.@RonaldAcunajr24's historic 2023 season secured him the No. 1 spot on @MLBNetwork’s #Top100RightNow. pic.twitter.com/dfog3Qu4Mv
— MLB (@MLB) February 22, 2024
He has been exceptional since his Major League debut in 2018, wherein he won the National League Rookie of the Year award. That year, he batted .293 and collected 127 hits, 64 RBIs, and 26 home runs. From 2019 to 2023, he earned four All-Star nods and three Silver Slugger Awards.
His 2023 season is one for the record books after he became the first player in MLB history to have 40 home runs and 60 stolen bases in the same season.
Acuña Jr. defeated Mookie Betts and Aaron Judge for the top spot in the MLB Network Top 100 Right Now list. Last year’s American League MVP, Shohei Ohtani, is fourth, while Freddie Freeman is fifth. Corey Seager, Juan Soto, Yordan Alvarez, Gerrit Cole, and Julio Rodriguez complete the top ten.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is a career .292 batter with a .381 on-base and .537 slugging percentages through six MLB seasons. He has 767 hits, 402 runs batted in, and 161 home runs in 673 games.
-Lance Fernandez