Ronald Acuña Jr. is early front-runner for NL MVP

Ronald Acuña Jr. is on an absolute tear, and NBC Sports EDGE's Drew Silva explains why the dynamic 23-year-old is already the front-runner for NL MVP.

Video Transcript

DREW SILVA: Braves outfielder, Ronald Acuña, Jr., was propped up as the player to take number one overall by most fantasy analysts this spring. And he sure is making us all look smart so far.

The 23-year-old led all of Major League Baseball in home runs through the first two weeks of the season with seven. Seven home runs in only 13 games. To go along with 6 doubles, 3 stolen bases, 14 RBIs, and 17 runs scored. Oh, and a pretty decent .442 batting average. Put simply, that is the elite five category fantasy coverage that you're looking for at the top of any baseball draft.

Acuña has been a ready-made star since the day he arrived in the Major Leagues in April 2018. But what's maybe most encouraging about his tremendous early output this year is that his chase rate on pitches outside the strike zone has dropped dramatically. Acuña has become a much more patient hitter, and when there's a pitch left in the zone, he'll feast on it.

We already have a front runner for National League MVP.