Ronald Acuña Jr. is a three-time All-Star, the only player in history with 120 homers and 120 steals in his first 550 games, and one of only two players in the game with power, speed and arm strength at elite levels. The Braves’ right fielder is as super as superstars get in MLB. And yet, we have never seen Acuña this good.
The 2023 season began with its identifiers preset: the year of the new rules, the platform season into free agency of Shohei Ohtani and the encore year of Aaron Judge after his 62 home runs. One quarter of the way into the season, Acuña, 25, has broken through more than anyone else as its defining player, the way Judge was for 2022.
He is so good that you can break the National League MVP race into two groups: Acuña and the field. And Acuña is far ahead. His 2.7 WAR blows away everyone else in the league. Dansby Swanson of the Cubs, a guy with three home runs, is next at a distant 1.9.
