MoxDash

ATLANTA — Ronald Acuña Jr. served notice on Feb. 16, the first day of spring workouts for Braves pitchers and catchers. When he and other early arriving position players took batting practice that day, Acuña was back at full ebullience, talking smack with teammates and driving ball after ball over the fence to every part of the field at North Port, Fla.

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He let anyone who was listening know that he was back. Really back.

“No limitations, and I’m really happy to say that,” the Braves right fielder said that day through an interpreter because while he can understand and speak English, he usually opts not to when he wants to be sure his point is made succinctly. “I’m really happy to say that I feel 100 percent, and obviously since 2021 when I was injured, I couldn’t say that. Now, there’s no more excuses.”

No excuses were necessary from Acuña this season as the 25-year-old Venezuelan superstar didn’t just return to his elite form prior to tearing up his right knee in July 2021 — he surpassed it. Fellow major leaguers recognized that and voted him the National League Outstanding Player and overall MLB Player of the Year in the 2023 Players Choice Awards announced Thursday. Shohei Ohtani was voted American League Outstanding Player.

After struggling with soreness in his surgically repaired knee for most of the 2022 season, Acuña regained full strength and confidence in 2023. He beat out the likes of two-way sensation Ohtani for Players Choice MLB Player of the Year by hitting .337 with 41 home runs and 106 RBIs, leading the majors in stolen bases (73), runs (149) and hits (217), and leading the NL with a 1.012 OPS.

Acuña did all of that from the leadoff spot, where he sparked one of the most explosive offenses in MLB history. He dramatically reduced his strikeout rate and chase rate on pitches out of the zone. On defense, Acuña had a substantial highlight reel of spectacular catches and strong throws from right field.

After an Aug. 25 game at San Francisco when Acuña made a running, leaping catch in the gap to protect a 1-0 lead, Braves pitcher Spencer Strider said, “Yeah, he’s a five-tool player. He’s one of, if not the most talented player in baseball in the world. Nothing he does really surprises me, just because it’s so normal for him to go out and do something spectacular when he’s at the plate or the ball’s hit to him.”

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The Players Choice Awards were announced Thursday, a few days after Acuña was named MLB Player of the Year by The Sporting News. He’s expected to win NL Most Valuable Player when the Baseball Writers’ Association of America presents its MVP awards for each league on Nov. 16.

Acuña was also among six Braves named Silver Slugger Award finalists Thursday, with infielders Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley, catcher Sean Murphy, and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.

While the BBWAA MVP awards are widely viewed as the “official” and most prestigious MVP award for each league, the Players Choice Awards carry a lot of weight among players because they are voted on by their peers.

In the case of Thursday’s award, Acuña had to beat the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and Braves teammate Matt Olson as well as everyone in the American League, including Ohtani. The Los Angeles Angels pitching and slugging star led the majors in total fWAR at 9.0, ahead of Acuña and Betts at 8.3 apiece.

Players recognized Acuña for an unprecedented season in which he became the fifth member of the hallowed 40-40 club with at least 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases, and left the rest of the club in his base path dust. Acuña became the first and only player to have 40-50, 40-60 and 40-70 seasons. Before his 73, the previous high stolen-base total for a 40-40 player was Alex Rodríguez’s 46 in 1998.

No player in history had as many as 30 homers and 60 steals in a season until Acuña dramatically accomplished that feat, hitting a grand slam on Aug. 31 in a series-opening 8-7 win at Dodger Stadium for his 30th homer, only hours after getting married to his longtime girlfriend and mother of his two young sons in a morning wedding near Los Angeles.

Acuña helped the Braves roll to 104 wins and their sixth consecutive NL East title before their disappointing showing in a second consecutive four-game NLDS loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. He was the first NL player to join the 40-40 club in a year in which his team made the postseason and the second overall player to do it after Jose Canseco had the first 40-40 season in 1988 when he won AL MVP and led the Oakland Athletics to the World Series.

(Top photo of Ronald Acuña: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)

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