The Atlanta Braves, at 64-34, are the owners of the best record in MLB as of Tuesday afternoon.
They have been dominant for months, they are deep, they are good, and they are hungry.
A lot of their success can, and should, be attributed to Ronald Acuna Jr.
The dynamic outfielder is aiming for his first MVP award, and has put on a dominant display all year long.
A big part of his great 2023 stems from his ability to hit the ball hard.
Hitting the ball hard should be the ideal outcome for every hitter: no batter should go to the box thinking about a bloop single or hitting a ball through the infield for a base hit.
The best outcomes are associated with hitting the ball hard and in the air.
Acuna knows a thing or two about that.
Per Codify Baseball, the Venezuelan slugger leads the league in fair balls hit over 100 mph this year, with 156.
Most fair balls hit at 100+ MPH this year:
Ronald Acuña Jr., 156
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 127
Juan Soto, 117
Shohei Ohtani, 113
Yandy Díaz, 111
Christian Yelich, 110
Paul Goldschmidt, 109
Matt Olson, 108
Julio Rodríguez, 107
Rafael Devers, 107
Bo Bichette, 106 pic.twitter.com/r0175k9y9A— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) July 25, 2023
That’s a lot.
That’s 29 more such balls than the second-best in MLB, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Lots of those balls have become hits, doubles, triples, and homers.
Acuna is slashing .332/.409/.577 with 23 home runs, 46 stolen bases, 87 runs scored, and 58 RBI.
Those are incredible full-season numbers for every players; but Acuna has done it in a little over a half.
At the moment, he might not have opposition for the MVP award in the National League.
In the process, he has been carrying the Braves and has them as World Series favorites.
Acuna is a special player, and there is no doubt about it.
NEXT: Braves Hold Down Top MLB Crown As The Deadline Nears
