What was once an up-and-coming phenom is now the National League Most Valuable Player. What is great to think about with Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., it could and should be the first of multiple MVP trophies for the player who established the 40-70 club this season and sparked the Braves to a sixth straight N.L. East Division Championship.

Yes, Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts made the race closer than expected with an August surge that saw his batting average jump 40 points, combined with 11 home runs, but there was little doubt that this year’s MVP patrolled the outfield at Truist Park.

The biggest change with Acuña Jr. this year was health, meaning he rarely missed a game and was a daily presence in a loaded lineup. Acuña Jr. played in a career-high 159 games this year, marking just the second time he has played in more than 119 games in a season.

Acuña Jr. delivered with a .337 batting average, 41 home runs, 106 RBIs and 73 stolen bases. His 8.1 WAR was by far the most productive of his career. Maybe Acuña Jr.’s most impressive stat was his 84 strikeout total. It was the second lowest of his career, though the 60 he recorded in just 46 games, came during the 2020 COVID-shortened year.

Acuña Jr. was a unanimous choice for this year’s top award. He will likely be the preseason pick to be the MVP next year, barring the possibility that Shohei Ohtani joins a National League club this offseason. Health used to be Acuña Jr.’s kryptonite. Now that he’s conquered a full season, Acuña Jr. has unleashed potential on Major League Baseball the likes of modern baseball has never witnessed before.

The only question is what can Acuña Jr. do to top last year’s historical season? Could he establish a 40-80 or 50-70 club? Nothing should be counted out with this history maker. and let’s not forget, Acuña Jr. will only turn 26 in December. He still has at least another decade of high productive years ahead. As long as he can avoid the injury bug, Acuña Jr.’s talent and staggering statistics should always prevail.

He is already cemented as a top 5 Atlanta Braves position player of all time, joining Hank Aaron, Dale Murphy and Chipper Jones. He will continue to move up the ladder with every homer, steal and MVP award he’s able to accumulate.

Congratulations Acuña Jr. This award was well-deserved and quite frankly a no-brainer.