When I put together our last MVP ladder two weeks ago, I gave Mookie Betts the slight edge for first place over Ronald Acuña Jr., with a series between their teams on the horizon that same night.
As I wrote at the time, that series between the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers was crucial. With the top candidates in action, I figured the series would give us a clearer picture of the MVP race. That’s exactly what happened.
Acuña used the four-game set to stake claim to the award. He hit home runs in each of the first three games — leading Atlanta to wins in each — drove in six runs and added two more stolen bases to his league-best total. And he hasn’t cooled off in three series since. It’s safe to say Acuña is comfortably in the driver’s seat.
Below is a look at where things stand with two weeks left in the season. Odds are from BetMGM.
1
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves (-800)
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Stats: .335 AVG | 97 RBI | 37 HR | 66 SB | 7.6 WAR
Last ladder: 2nd
Acuña already has the most stolen bases in a season since Juan Pierre in 2010. He’s on pace to become just the second player in the 21st century to have more than 70, joining José Reyes (78) in 2007. He’s also on pace for 40 home runs, which would make him just the fifth player ever to join the illustrious 40-40 club, and the first since Alfonso Soriano in 2006. Those feats alone will get him the MVP before we even get into his top-five average and OPS, and league-leading runs total.
2
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers (+450)
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Stats: .312 AVG | 103 RBI | 39 HR | 13 SB | 8.1 WAR
Last ladder: 1st
After driving two balls out the park and recording four RBI in the opener of LA’s series against Atlanta, Betts has just one home run and five RBI in 10 games since. He also has a few hitless games sprinkled in, as he seems to be cooling off at the wrong time in regards to what was already a really close race. It’s going to take a really strong finish for him to make this a conversation again.
3
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (+20000)
Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
Stats: .279 AVG | 128 RBI | 51 HR | 6.4 WAR
Last ladder: 4th
Surprised about Olson getting third over Freddie Freeman? Yeah, me too! But just as the Dodgers players are regressing, Olson is hitting the ball out the park again. After failing to record a hit in the first three games against LA, Olson has eight home runs and 16 RBI in his last 11 games. His case in this race was always his large home run and RBI totals, and after becoming just the fourth active player to ever eclipse 50 homers, he moves up my board.
4
Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers (+6600)
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Stats: .337 AVG | 93 RBI | 26 HR | 18 SB | 6.2 WAR
Last ladder: 3rd
Freeman still has the league’s third-best batting average — the best of any of these four candidates — but those hits have been a lot more empty of late, as he’s driven in just four runs since the start of the Braves series. I don’t want to pretend that’s been the case all year (it hasn’t), and Freeman certainly adds value in other ways beyond his offense, but if this race ended today, he’d be fourth on my ballot.
