Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. was named the MLB Player of the Year in 2023 Players Choice Awards voting.
Acuña took first place in the voting, beating out a pair of Los Angeles stars in the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts and Angels’ Shohei Ohtani. Acuña was also named the National League Outstanding Player while Ohtani won the American League Outstanding Player.
It is the first time Acuña has won the honor after a historic season. Acuña had the first 40-50 season in MLB history and topped that even further by finishing the year with 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases. He also hit .337/.416/.596 with 35 doubles, 106 RBI, 149 runs scored and a 170 wRC+ with a total of 8.3 WAR.
The likely 2023 NL MVP also led the Majors with 217 total hits runs and stolen bases, and his on-base percentage and on-base plus slugging (1.102) was the top mark in the NL.
He set the Atlanta Braves’ modern era franchise record for stolen bases in a season and he is the first player since Joe DiMaggio in 1937 to collect at least 200 hits, 100 RBIs, 145 runs and 40 homers in a season.
The Players Choice Awards have special significance to players because the winners are chosen by their peers.
How Ronald Acuña Jr. compared to Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts
Ohtani was one of the best pitchers in baseball and he was also one of the top hitters with arguably his best season to date. Although Ohtani was later slowed by injuries on the mound and eventually at the plate, he still posted one of the all-time great seasons.
The 29-year-old led MLB with 9.0 WAR, with 6.6 coming from his offensive production and 2.4 from his pitching performance.
At the plate, Ohtani hit .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs, 102 runs scored, 95 RBI, 78 extra-base hits, 20 stolen bases and a 180 wRC+.
Ohtani led MLB in slugging percentage and wRC+, finished second in on-base percentage, fourth in home runs, and ninth in average.
On the mound, Ohtani logged a 10-5 record, with a 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings pitched. His 31.5% strikeout rate ranked second in the AL.
Betts finished the year batting .307/.408/.579/ with 40 doubles, 39 home runs, 107 RBI, 14 stolen bases, 126 runs scored and a 167 wRC+, finishing tied with Acuña with 8.3 WAR thanks to his defensive edge.
In addition, Betts set the MLB record for most RBI out of the leadoff spot in a single season.
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