Yesterday’s installment of Baseball’s Best (and Worst) analyzed the contenders for the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award, and a very short list it is.
Shohei Ohtani is the AL’s certain winner. Nobody else has a chance.
So we turn today to the National League’s MVP race, which is a bit more competitive.
Ronald Acuna Jr., the dynamic right fielder for the Atlanta Braves, has been the frontrunner for much of the season, thanks to his combination of power (27 home runs through mid-August) and speed (55 stolen bases). And he remained the leader at the three-quarters point of 2023’s schedule, according to my calculations of offensive base values (BV).
I have explained BV several times, and I offered a refresher yesterday, but you can click here if you need to know more.
What’s important to know is that Acuna had a BV of plus-167 as of August 15, the date when the season hit the three-quarters pole. That means he had reached 167 more bases than the typical big leaguer would have attained under the same circumstances.
Only three other NL players are in triple digits, and all three are a considerable distance behind Acuna. Yet a hot September could thrust any of them into strong MVP contention.
Acuna’s former Atlanta teammate, first baseman Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is the runner-up with a BV of plus-133. He’s followed by the man who replaced him at first place for the Braves, Matt Olson (plus-128), and the right fielder for the Dodgers, Mookie Betts (plus-114).
Two of the NL’s top four players already have MVP hardware in their possession. Betts earned the American League’s trophy in 2018, while Freeman won the National League’s award in 2020.
Scroll down to see the top 20 players in the National League in terms of offensive base values at the three-quarters mark, followed by a team-by-team list of BV leaders.
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NL top 20 offensive base values
1. Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves, BV 167
2. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, BV 133
3. Matt Olson, Braves, BV 128
4. Mookie Betts, Dodgers, BV 114
5. Juan Soto, Padres, BV 94
6. Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks, BV 83
7. Cody Bellinger, Cubs, BV 73
8. Christian Yelich, Brewers, BV 62
9. Christian Walker, Diamondbacks, BV 61
10. Ha-Seong Kim, Padres, BV 60
11. Ozzie Albies, Braves, BV 53
12. Sean Murphy, Braves, BV 51
13. Jeimer Candelario, Nationals-Cubs, 48
14. Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals, BV 46
14. Francisco Lindor, Mets, BV 46
16. Will Benson, Reds, BV 45
16. Will Smith, Dodgers, BV 45
18. Austin Riley, Braves, BV 44
18. Spencer Steer, Reds, BV 44
18. Lars Nootbaar, Cardinals, BV 44
NL leaders by club
Braves — Ronald Acuna Jr., BV 167
Brewers — Christian Yelich, BV 62
Cardinals — Paul Goldschmidt, BV 46
Cubs — Cody Bellinger, BV 73
Diamondbacks — Corbin Carroll, BV 83
Dodgers — Freddie Freeman, BV 133
Giants — Wilmer Flores, BV 37
Marlins — Jorge Soler, BV 37
Mets — Francisco Lindor, BV 46
Nationals — Lane Thomas, BV 35
Padres — Juan Soto, BV 94
Phillies — Brandon Marsh, BV 33
Pirates — Jack Suwinski, BV 36
Reds — Will Benson, BV 45
Rockies — Nolan Jones, BV 29