Dodgers News: Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman Finish Behind Ronald Acuna Jr in NL MVP Voting
Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves has unanimously won the 2023 National League Most Valuable Player Award. Dodgers superstars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman finished in second and third place, respectively, but unsurprisingly lost the award to Acuna.
Acuna had a stranglehold on the award all season long, but an unbelievable August from Betts catapulted him to the top of the race. However, Betts cooled down in September while Acuna continued his dominant season, ultimately running away with the award when it was all said and done.
Betts got all 30 second-place votes, while Freeman got 17 third-place votes.
In most years, either Betts or Freeman could have won the award for the years they put together.
Betts had his best year since his 2018 MVP season in Boston, slashing .307/.408/.579 with a career-high 39 home runs and 107 RBIs, both MLB-highs out of the leadoff spot in a single season. Betts also hit 40 doubles, walked 96 times and stole 14 bases, his most since coming to LA.
Betts’ true value came out in the field, however, where he played Gold Glove caliber defense in right field and at second base, while also filling in at shortstop for the first time in his career. Betts’ willingness and ability to play second base allowed the Dodgers to have three left-handed outfielders on a daily basis, maximizing the lineup on any given day.
As for Freeman, he continued to be Mr. Consistent for the Dodgers in his second year in Los Angeles. Freeman slashed .331/.410/.567 with 29 home runs, 102 RBIs and an unbelievable 59 doubles. He also had a team- and career-high 23 stolen bases, shattering his previous high set last year at 13.
Freeman’s consistency and desire to be at first base every day was key to the Dodgers’ 100-win season, as he appeared in 161 of the 162 games, his only day off coming after the team clinched the division — but of course, Freeman wanted to be out there, and had to be convinced by Dave Roberts to sit it out.
While neither one of them won the MVP this year, they carried the Dodgers all season long to a surprising 100-win season, and will look to do the same next year with a potentially very different roster around them.
Congrats to Acuna on winning the well-deserved honor.
Photo Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Unanimous for Acuna is a bit ridiculous to me. Mookie provided more VALUE to the Dodgers than Acuna did to the Braves. Don’t get me wrong, Acuna absolutely deserves the MVP after Mookie choked it away in September but that should not have been unanimous IMO.