Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. of La Guaira, Venezuela won the 2023 National League Most Valuable Player Award on Thursday. He becomes the third Venezuelan born player to win a most valuable player award and the eighth Braves player in franchise history to win the honour.
2023 MLB Statistics
During the 2023 Major League Baseball regular season, Acuna Jr. led MLB in runs scored (149), hits (217), stolen bases (73), on base percentage (.416), and total bases (383). He also had 35 doubles, four triples, 41 home runs, 106 runs batted in, 80 walks, a slugging percentage of .596 and three sacrifice flies. Acuna Jr. had 30 first place votes, and 420 points overall.
Third Venezuelan to win MVP
Acuna Jr. is the third Venezuelan born player to win the MVP Award. Third baseman Miguel Cabrera of Maracay, Venezuela was the first Venezuelan born player to receive the honour as he won in back-to-back years with the Detroit Tigers in 2012 and 2013. Cabrera was followed by second baseman Jose Altuve of Maracay, who won the honour with the Houston Astros in 2017. Altuve holds the distinction of being the shortest MVP of all-time at five foot six. He is tied with New York Yankees shortstop Phil Rizzuto of Brooklyn, New York (1950), and Philadelphia Athletics starting pitcher Bobby Shantz of Pottstown, Pennsylvania (1952). It should be noted that Acuna Jr. is the first Venezuelan to win the National League MVP Awards as Cabrera and Altuve won the American League MVP Awards.
Seven Prior Braves to win NL MVP
Second baseman Johnny Evers of Troy, New York was the first Braves player to receive the NL MVP Award in 1914. At the time, the Braves were in Boston, and the award was known as the Chalmers Award. Evers was followed by third baseman Bob Elliott of San Francisco, California (1947), home run king Hank Aaron of Mobile, Alabama (1957), outfielder Dale Murphy of Portland, Oregon, who won in back-to-back years in 1982 and 1983, third baseman Terry Pendleton of Los Angeles, California (1991), third baseman Chipper Jones of DeLand, Florida (1999), and first baseman Freddie Freeman of Fountain Valley, California (2020).
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