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Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge might have ruled the ongoing season in the Major League Baseball (MLB) but 2023 was all about Ronald Acuna Jr. The debate still goes on that who amongst these three players is the best. However, MLB insider Jeff Blair feels that Ronald Acuna Jr. is not better than Ohtani and Judge.
What did Jeff Blair have to say about the matter?
On Thursday, the 26th September episode of Sportnet's 'Blair and Barker' podcast, Acuna's name popped up when Blair and co-host Kevin Barker were discussing the Mets-Brave clash as Blair provided his insight on what he thinks about the 2023 NL MVP.
"Ronald Acuna Jr. is the second-best position player in the game. Third best, maybe, behind Aaron Judge & Shohei Ohtani. Pardon me, but Acuna is elite. He is up there," Blair said.
Jeff Blair even mentioned that Shohei Ohtani now cannot be considered a positional player as he plays as a designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nonetheless, Blair feels that Acuna is among the best.
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"Ronald Acuna Jr. is among the elite players in the game," Blair added.
In the 2023 season, Ronald Acuna Jr. achieved the 40-70 season that saw him win the NL MVP title. It is considered one of the best performances by a positional player. Many fans and analysts have started to compare Acuna's 2023 season to Ohtani's 50-50 season that he recorded this year.
The fans of Ohtani feel that his 50-50 season was superior to Acuna's 40-70 season and Acuna's fans think that Ohtani being the designated hitter was the main reason that he reached the historic landmark.
Meanwhile, Ohtani has 54 home runs and 57 stolen bases to his name and there are still two games remaining. After achieving the 57th stolen base against the Colorado Rockies, Ohtani has now broken the record for most stolen bases by a Japanese player in MLB that was previously held by Ichiro Suzuki.
Can Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna Jr. compete for NL MVP in 2025?
The unanimous MVP selections for the 2023 season at NL and AL were Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna Jr. The MVP race heated up in the ongoing season as Ohtani made his move to the Dodgers from the Angels. But the race was short-lived as Acuna suffered a season-ending ACL injury back in May.
Ronald Acuna Jr. will make his comeback in the 2025 season and spoke that he would proceed with caution after his history of injuries. On the other hand, Ohtani will make his comeback on the mound next year after sustaining a UCL injury in 2023.
If Ohtani impresses as a two-way player, it would be very hard for Acuna to win his second MVP. If he can beat his 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases, he might stand a chance.
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