3 Atlanta Braves on track to win major hardware this season

1. Ronald Acuña Jr.

If the season ended today there are zero questions about who the National League MVP should be. When healthy, Acuña has an argument as the best player in the league and it is a pretty compelling one.

Acuña has often been derailed by injuries or by pitchers angrily throwing at the star simply because they couldn’t get him out. Now everything finally seems to be coming together for the Braves star, who is now clearly on track to win MVP.

Part of what makes the outfielder so elite is the fact he is an offense unto himself. Even if a pitcher is lucky enough to illicit weak contact, Acuña is hustling down the line putting pressure on the defense and finding ways to get on base.

Atlanta clearly would be in a far more precarious position in the standings if not for Acuña’s consistent heroics. Whether it is blasting a ball in the second deck or finding a way to get on base and stealing his way into scoring position he is an offense unto himself and clearly is running away with MVP through the first two months of the season. The only complaint here isn’t for Acuña but for the star’s teammates who need to do a better job protecting their franchise player the next time a pitcher decides to take their shot at the star.