Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr., Angels' Shohei Ohtani bring home MVP awards in 2023
On Thursday evening the American League and National League Most Valuable awards were handed out. After a season full of changes in favor of the hitter, these two took full advantage of the new rules in their dominant 2023 seasons.
Here are the Most Valuable Player award recipients in 2023.
National League Most Valuable Player Award: Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves, outfielder
2023 stats: .337/.416/.596, 41 HR, 106 RBI, 149 R, 73 SB in 159 games played
Posting the first 40-plus home run and 70-plus stolen bases season in MLB history, Acuna Jr. proved that he was all the way back after a knee injury in 2021 slowed down the great start to his career.
Acuna Jr. was the MLB leader in hits, runs, stolen bases, total bases and on-base percentage while hitting lead-off for a Braves offense that tied the record for most home runs in a season. Acuna's ability to jumpstart the offense played a big part in their success, which led them to the best record in baseball.
His resume is even more impressive when you realize he is still only 25 years old and has missed the equivalent of a full season due to his knee injury.
Under contract for four more years, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Braves hand him a hefty contract extension to keep him in Atlanta for as long as possible.
American League Most Valuable Player Award: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels, designated hitter/pitcher
2023 stats: .304/.412/.654, 44 HR, 95 RBI, 102 R, 20 SB in 135 games played as a hitter and a 10-5, 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 167 SO in 132 innings pitched
Becoming the first player in MLB history to win two unanimous MVP awards, Ohtani continued to show why he is considered baseball's unicorn.
Dominating both in the batter's box and on the mound, Ohtani has wowed fans in Los Angeles over the past six seasons.
Despite missing 27 games, he led the AL in numerous categories, including home runs (44) and total bases (325). He also made 23 starts on the mound with a 3.14 ERA and an 11.39 K/9, both of which would have ranked in the top 10 in MLB if he qualified.
Only 29 years old, Ohtani already has a Rookie of the Year award and two MVP awards under his belt as he enters free agency, where he could demand one of the biggest contracts in MLB history.
Adding to their impressive wins, MLB.com's Rob Terranova noted that this was the first time in MLB history that two players who were ranked as the Nos. 1 and 2 prospects in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list won the award in the same year.
Not to be outdone, MLB.com's Sarah Langs pointed out that this was also the first time in league history that both winners were unanimous.
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