Spencer Strider stokes the coal on MVP train for Braves star

Spencer Strider is firing up the Ronald Acuña Jr. for NL MVP hype train on the Atlanta Braves.

While Spencer Strider strikes out seemingly everyone he faces as the bright and shining star of the Atlanta Braves‘ rotation, Ronald Acuña Jr. is stealing more bags than even Rickey Henderson could.

The five-time reigning NL East champions aren’t slowing down anytime soon. Yes, the Braves have been bit by the injury bug badly over the first month and a half of the season, but they have the best record in the NL by percentage points over the Los Angeles Dodgers and hold a 4.5-game lead over the Miami Marlins in the divisional race, thanks in large part to Strider and Acuña’s play.

Obviously, they would both speak glowingly of each other, but Strider’s comments on Acuña are as flattering as they feel true.

“He’s the best player I’ve ever seen.”

Point taken.

In 43 games for the Braves, Acuña is slashing .345/.437/.613 with 11 home runs and 27 runs batted in. He leads the National League with 58 hits and 18 stolen bases, while leading all of baseball with 40 runs scored, his .437 on-base percentage and a 1.050 OPS. To add to all that, he has the second-strongest arm in the MLB per Baseball Savant.

With this being more than a year removed since his devastating knee injury, we are seeing Acuña play unencumbered.

While some of these numbers may not be sustainable, we would love to see him try to keep pace.

Atlanta Braves: Spencer Strider drives the Ronald Acuña Jr. for NL MVP narrative

In my 33 years and change on Earth, I will contend that Chipper Jones is the best position player to star in Atlanta. However, I am more than willing to say that Acuña is the most talented player Atlanta has had in my lifetime. When healthy and totally locked in, he can get to places on the baseball diamond the best players in the game today can only hope to dream of. He is that good!

What has made this season so special for Acuña so far is he has finally put it all together. We have a perfect combination of talent, production, playfulness and health. His enthusiasm and love for the game radiates inside of the Braves’ dugout and throughout The Battery. When players have MVP-caliber campaigns, it presents itself early and you feel this kind of energy from the superstar.

Of course, we have to finish May and get through June, July, August and September first before we can even begin to think about crowning Ronnie Béisbol. Frankly, I would be disappointed if he never won an MVP in an Atlanta uniform. This isn’t like that one year where Andruw Jones finished top-three. We are talking about a top-six player in baseball, year in and year out, going forward.

Atlanta is so lucky to have two emerging superstars in Acuña and Strider just hitting their primes.