On Thursday evening the American League and National League Most Valuable awards were handed out. After a season full of changes in favor of the hitter, these two took full advantage of the new rules in their dominant 2023 seasons. 

Here are the Most Valuable Player award recipients in 2023. 

National League Most Valuable Player Award: Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves, outfielder

2023 stats: .337/.416/.596, 41 HR, 106 RBI, 149 R, 73 SB in 159 games played

Posting the first 40-plus home run and 70-plus stolen bases season in MLB history, Acuna Jr. proved that he was all the way back after a knee injury in 2021 slowed down the great start to his career. 

Acuna Jr. was the MLB leader in hits, runs, stolen bases, total bases and on-base percentage while hitting lead-off for a Braves offense that tied the record for most home runs in a season. Acuna’s ability to jumpstart the offense played a big part in their success, which led them to the best record in baseball.