Ronald Acuna Jr. and the Atlanta Braves are starting the 2023 campaign smoking hot. They are on the verge of going (5-1) to begin as they are currently beating the St. Louis Cardinals as we speak.

Who is at the top of their success? You guessed it. Ronald Acuna Jr. The young star can not only hit blistering home runs, but he plays elite defense and will likely finish top-3 in stolen bases this season. In 22 at-bats, Acuna has eight hits, five runs, two home runs, and four RBIs. He's walked three times and only has struck out three times. That leads to a .364/.440/.682 line with a 1.122 OPS to begin the year. Those numbers have skyrocketed Acuna above Juan Soto and Mookie Betts as the favorite to win NL MVP very early in the season.

Here are the MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

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Juan Soto began the year as the favorite as the outfielder is projected to have a huge year for the San Diego Padres. Soto and Acuna should be competing all year long for the award, but if you want to put a wager down now, then Acuna seems to be the favorite with a much better start to the season. He will also steal a ton more bags than Soto and his defense is far superior.

The Padres and Braves will also be battling all year long for one of the best records in the MLB. Both teams have a ton of talent and will be playing in a tough division. The Braves are dealing with the New York Mets while the Padres have the Los Angeles Dodgers to deal with every season. If these two continue to put in work then they will be the favorites. As for now, keep an eye on Acuna as he could take the league by storm this year.