As Ronald Acuña Jr. closes in on becoming just the fifth player in MLB history to join the 40/40 club this year, it seems that he is the run away favorite to win the NL MVP, with Freddie Freeman second on that list. Outside of the former Brave, there is one current Brave who actually may steal the glory from Acuña Jr.
Abe Gordon recently made the case that Matt Olson could be hot on Acuña Jr's heels, if he can get to the 60 homerun benchmark.
Matt Olson, acquired from the Oakland A's in the offseason, has been one of the strongest offensive weapons for what has been a juggernaut batting lineup for the Braves this season. Olson is the current league leader in homeruns, 42, and RBIs, 105. With a little less than 50 games to play in the season Olson has a a good chance to surpass the 60 homerun mark. Would that be enough to sway voters.
Abe Gordon stated, "A lot of this is going to depend on what Acuña and Olson does the rest of the season." While Acuña has slowed down after hitting nine homeruns in June, he has continued to rake in stolen bases with 54 on the season. Acuña also has the edge over Olson with a .336 BA compared to Olson's .270.
The All-Star first baseman has an uphill battle but based off what he's shown thus far, he's well equipped to do so.