Bleacher Report Struggles to Name a Braves Most Improved Player for 2025

Finding a most improved player for even the worst MLB rosters shouldn't be that difficult to do. That improving player doesn't have to be an All-Star or be flying under the radar -- just someone that has been better than he has in the past.

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller named the most improved player for every MLB roster during the first half of 2025 on Tuesday. Miller struggled to name one, though, for the Atlanta Braves.

Miller settled for 2023 MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. as his choice for most improved Braves player.

"Options for most improved on this wildly underachieving roster are few and far between, but how about Ronald Acuña Jr. presently boasting a 1.202 OPS, compared to his .716 fiasco in 49 games played in 2024?" Miller wrote. "Because he didn't make his season debut until Atlanta's 50th game, it's pretty unlikely he'll make enough plate appearances to qualify for a batting title, but he would be running away with the NL crown right now with a .396 mark."

Acuña absolutely deserves all the praise he's receiving right now. He's playing at an MVP level. But calling him Atlanta's most improved player this season could be seen a couple different ways.

Quite frankly, it's a little odd because he's already won an MVP award. Acuña hit .337 with 41 home runs, a league-leading 1.012 OPS and 73 steals in 2023.

Yes, the "improvement" Miller is referring to is based on Acuña's under production from 2024. He hit .250 with a .716 OPS last season.

But that was in less than a third of a season -- 49 games. If not for his May knee injury, my bet is Acuña wouldn't have posted those numbers for all of 2024.

Coming off his second ACL injury in four years, expectations on Acuña were lowered before his return. I participated in that. I argued he might not be the same player, though, my point stemmed from his likelihood to steal fewer bases, not hit with less power or get on base less frequently.

Even after Acuña's return, Miller still questioned the right fielder's hot start. On June 11, Miller ranked Acuña outside his top 10 franchise cornerstones.

Given those lower expectations, maybe Acuña is Atlanta's most improved player.

But the fact Miller picked the right fielder for the most improved title in Atlanta arguably says a lot more about the rest of the team than it does Acuña. It should be an extremely hard pill to swallow for Braves Country that someone who was already the team's best player is also its most improved this year.

It just speaks to how Braves players such as Michael Harris II, who was called a breakout candidate before the season started, are performing in 2025.