As Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” ????
Believe it or not, Acuna Jr. had the same odds to win NL MVP as Shohei Ohtani did for AL MVP as recently as July 21.
So why has Betts taken over the top spot now? We checked in with trader Michael Veneziano to get his read on the market.
ASK THE TRADER: “Prior to August, Acuna had the higher AVG, OBP, SLG and OPS while on pace for a prestigious 40-40 HR-SB season, which has only been done 4 times in MLB history. His HR pace has slowed a bit, but he can still be the first-ever 30-60 player. Betts’ extraordinary August (.464 AVG and 1.328 OPS) has vaulted him past Acuna in multiple categories and he’s tracking for 40+ HRs for the first time in his career. Betts as the new favorite is not a knock on Acuna at all, he is having a tremendous season and the award ???? can still be won. But I think Acuna’s best chance now is reaching one of the historical milestones.”