While Mike Trout is widely considered the best player in baseball, if there’s one young guy who might be capable of stealing that title it’s Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. Here are two props available to wager at Mybookie on Acuna’s 2020 MLB season – assuming there is one – and an overview.
Ronald Acuna Jr. MLB Awards Odds & Analysis For 2020 Season
- Most home runs of any batter: Acuna is +1800
- NL MVP Award: Acuna is +500 favorite
Ronald Acuna Jr. was named the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year after hitting .293 with 26 home runs, 64 RBI, 78 runs scored and 16 stolen bases in 111 games.
As for last year, Acuna missed much of the final week of the 2019 regular season due to a left groin strain but still put up huge numbers. He hit a team-most 41 home runs and had a NL-most 37 stolen bases. Acuna became one of five players in baseball history to reach those numbers in a single season…The others: José Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodríguez (1998) and Alfonso Soriano (2006).
Ronald Acuna Jr. led the National League with 127 runs, tied for the third most in modern-era franchise history. He was the first Brave to lead the NL in runs since Dale Murphy in 1985 (118). Acuna hit his 40th homer of the season on Sept. 19 vs. the Phillies to become just the third player in baseball history to hit 40 homers in a single season prior to his 22nd birthday. Eddie Mathews hit 47 in 1953 as a 21-year-old and Mel Ott hit 42 in 1929 as a 20-year-old.
Acuna ranked fourth in the majors in steals last year and in the sprint speed (Acuna’s seasonal average of 29.4 feet per second ranked 12th among those with at least 100 competitive runs last year). Acuna exceeded the league average strikeout rate in each of his first two seasons. He’s struck out in 25.9% of his plate appearances overall. That hasn’t prevented him from logging an above-average walk rate (10.1% overall).
Through nine postseason games, Acuna is hitting .324/.425/.676 with four doubles, two homers and six RBIs. He’s already had one signature playoff moment, hitting a grand slam off Walker Buehler in Game 3 of the 2018 NLDS.
Before last season, the Braves signed Acuna to an eight-year, $100 extension and that’s already a bargain. Prior to signing the extension, Acuna was under the Braves’ control through 2024. The deal buys out four years of free agency. Acuna could be under contract with Atlanta through the 2028 campaign if the Braves exercise the two club options.
The 22-year-old outfielder has said he plans to play in the Venezuelan Winter League if Major League Baseball cancels the season or shortens it in any way. Acuna would play for the Tiburones de La Guaira — playing overseas for the first time as a young athlete — in his hometown. While playing in the league is not in violation of his massive contract, according to the report, the Braves have been among the teams recently prohibiting players from traveling to Venezuela because of the country’s political turmoil.
