Braves Briefing: Ronald Acuña Jr continues this season's dominance in Venezuela

Originally posted on Atlanta Braves on SI
By Lindsay Crosby | Last updated Dec 10, 2023 10:49 AM ET

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr dominated MLB this season, winning the NL Most Valuable Player award on the heels of the first 40/70 season in baseball history.

He wasn't done.

Playing in Venezuela's Winter League, only the 2nd league MVP to play in Latin America the season he won the award (Vlad Guerrero Sr, 2004), Acuña's slashline sits at .443/.564/.918 after 15 games, with seven homers, twenty-six runs scored, and four stolen bases.

Oh, and the arm traveled, too.

Ronald, in typical Ronald Acuña Jr fashion, gunned a runner down at the plate last night in the team's eventual 10-2 victory.

Fernando Arreaza: "Lo que faltaba, un disparo de esta naturaleza"

Ronald Acuña Jr. fue a Valencia y le dijo a Ozzie que él se encargaba. Casi la sacó del estadio con un HR y luego sacó este out en el plato.pic.twitter.com/BmeRHXrWhh
— Raúl Zambrano Cabello (@RaulZambrano7) December 10, 2023

Manager Brian Snitker, when asked about if he was okay with Acuña's desire to play winter ball, remarked that this is what he wanted to do and they trust him to do the right thing. "He's a baseball player, you know? He likes to play baseball."

How long until pitchers and catchers report?

63 days. Atlanta's expected to ask pitchers and catchers to report on Monday, February 12th, in advance of their first spring training game on February 24th against the Tampa Bay Rays. An official announcement of the reporting date will come in January.

Here's the odds for the top 10 teams to win the 2024 World Series according to FanDuel

After yesterday's announcement of Shohei Ohtani joining the Los Angeles Dodgers on a massive ten year, $700M deal, the World Series odds have shifted towards LA.

Los Angeles Dodgers - +550
Atlanta Braves - +650
Houston Astros - +850
Texas Rangers - +900
New York Yankees - +950
Philadelphia Phillies - +1000
Baltimore Orioles - +1500
Toronto Blue Jays - +1600
Minnesota Twins - +2000
Seattle Mariners - +2000

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This article first appeared on Atlanta Braves on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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