Braves Rumors: Postseason roster surprise, Ohtani price drop, Acuña MVP edge

Atlanta Braves Rumors: Ronald Acuña has an edge for NL MVP

Acuña has long been considered the favorite for NL MVP, though a hot August and September from Mookie Betts has made it a tight race. Acuña homered two more times on Tuesday, and he's nearing a 40-40 campaign. He would be just the sixth player to ever accomplish that feat. It should be noted that Acuña also has 67 stolen bases, so technically he'll have a 40-70 season. Is Betts really deserving over those monumental numbers?

As Sports Illustrated's Lindsay Crosby notes, Acuña has a pretty significant edge in the counting stats right now:

"Ronald sits behind Mookie in only RBIs (203 to 100), doubles (37 to 33), and extra-base hits (77 to 75) in major statistical categories while dramatically outpacing Mookie with a league-leading 67 stolen bases (to Mookie's 13) and 138 runs (to Mookie's 123). Ronald's also struck out significantly less (78 to 103) despite 46 more plate appearances for Acuña (694 to 648)."

There are more advanced stats which favor Betts, but Acuña's historic run should have some pull with the writers, just as a triple crown or home run record would.