Ronald Acuña spent much of the 2023 MLB season as the favorite to win the MVP award in the National League. Not only was he putting up numbers at a historical pace, but his Atlanta Braves quickly became the best team in baseball, where they’ve been essentially throughout the entire year.
MLB: Acuña No Longer The MVP Favorite, Betts Takes Top Spot
Mookie Betts has surpassed Ronald Acuña Jr. as the new favorite to win the 2023 NL MVP 👀 pic.twitter.com/36Xeo7En0r
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 28, 2023
Mookie Betts and the Dodgers played well, but not outstanding, during the first half of the year. They were inconsistent with their winning, but there was a flipped that was switched during the All-Star break. The Dodgers went from one of the middle-of-the-pack NL playoff teams in June to near-World Series favorites as we near the end of August. They are currently just 3 games behind Atlanta for the best record in baseball, and much of their success has to do with Betts’ performance.
Betts entered the month of August with a solid enough .279 batting average. But he caught serious fire as the calendar changed over.
He’s been undoubtedly the best player in baseball over the last 28 days. Betts has played in 24 games and has amassed 45 hits, 8 home runs, and 25 RBI. His batting average for the month is .464, and his on-base percentage is .514. There has been just one game of the 24 that he hasn’t recorded a hit, and the Dodgers are 20-4 during his incredible run.
Dodgers Have Been Just As Hot As Betts
Ronald Acuña Jr. is about to be the first 30/60 player in MLB history
Mookie Betts is in pace for over 40 home runs and almost 9 WAR
Freddie Freeman is hitting over .340 and on pace for the most doubles in a single season since integration
This NL MVP race is absolutely nuts. pic.twitter.com/oTiojY13gH
— MLB Metrics (@MLBMetrics) August 27, 2023
It has been an equally incredible run up the MVP odds board. On August 1st, Acuña held a commanding lead with a -700 designation, with Betts coming in at a distant +1700. The odds bounced around for a couple of weeks, but the gap began to close about ten days ago, when Acuña was -400 and Betts was +1000.
As of Monday, Mookie Betts is now the odds-on leader (-125) to win the NL MVP award. He has plenty working for him, including his month-long dominance and his team’s impressive rise up the standings. Acuña is currently sitting at +145.
The Dodgers have closed the gap on the Braves in the World Series odds listings as well. Atlanta is still the favorite, listed at +300. But Los Angeles isn’t far behind, sitting at +400 as we begin the final few days of the month.
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