"Acuña to the Dodgers" "The 2 best in the game" - Ronald Acuña Jr. drops photo with Shohei Ohtani after BBWAA dinner and fans can't have enough

In 2023, Ronald Acuña Jr. showed why he is considered one of the best baseball players on the planet. Despite an ACL tear in 2021 that threatened his very career, the Braves outfielder charged back to post a 2023 that was not only outstanding, but historic.

With 149 runs, 217 hits, and an on-base percentage of .416 the Venezuelan led the NL in both categories. Moreover, Acuña's 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases made him the founding member of the 40/70 club, somewhere where no player has ever gone before.

On January 28, Acuña was presented with the NL MVP Award at the Baseball Writer's Association of America Awards dinner in New York City. Upon receiving his honor, Acuña Jr. posed for a photograph alongside his AL counterpart, Shohei Ohtani.

Despite missing the final month of the season, Shohei Ohtani still led the AL in home runs, on-base percentage, total bases, and OPS, and went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA. The 29-year old Japanese star is just over one month removed from inking a ten-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the largest in pro sports history.

Fans evidently loved seing the pair in tandem. Soon after Ronnie posted the picture of the pair clad in their high-end dinner jackets, numerous comments began to flood in lavishing praise on both. Some even suggested that Ronald Acuna could one day join Ohtani on his new team.

For Ronald Acuña Jr., the 2023 season was something of a comeback. In the summer of 2021, the Atlanta Braves outfielder tore his ACL. Despite the fact that many thought that this might spell the end of the young stud's career, Acuña Jr. bounced back in a huge way. His team set the all-time record in team slugging percentage and tied the 2019 Minnesota Twins for the most home runs ever hit in a single season.

The future is bright for Ronald Acuña Jr. in Atlanta

Despite some of the calls for Ronnie to pursue a deal alongside Shohei Ohtani, there are no indications to suggest that the star will be leaving Atlanta anytime soon.

Under contract with the Braves until at least 2026, the star's $100 million commitment has yielded some serious results. Although he has already won a World Series in Atlanta, he was still considered a youngster at the time. Now, as the indisputable face of the organization, Ronald Acuña Jr. will look to further etch his mark on the history of the game.