Rookie of the Year: Who takes home the NL award?

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 03: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates after scoring on Ozzie Albies #1 RBI double in the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on August 3, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Atlanta Braves defeated the New York Mets 2-1. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

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Braves Outfielder /

Ronald Acuña

Ronald Acuña came into this season as the number one prospect in all of baseball by most publications and the clear favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year award.

While he is still in contention, he is no longer the favorite due to no fault of his own. Acuña has not disappointed at all in his first season in the big leagues. While he has had some ups and downs, the overall product has been fantastic for the 20-year-old phenom. Acuña is tied with Anderson with a 119 wRC+ which is just incredible for someone of his age, especially while playing meaningful games in the middle of a playoff race.

While his bat is where most of the value has been to this point in the season, Acuña has made an impact with every facet of his game. Acuña ranks top 3 among NL rookies in every Fangraphs base running metric, ranks seventh in all of baseball in sprint speed and trails only Harrison Bader among rookie outfielders in Outs Above Average. This young superstar really does it all and is quickly becoming a key cog in the Atlanta Braves playoff run.

Acuña has an outside shot at winning the Rookie of the Year award as it stand now, but if he puts the Braves on his back and carries them to the postseason there may be enough of a narrative to propel him to the award.

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