LA BESTIA: Ronald Acuña Jr. receives long-awaited 2023 National League LatinoMVP Award

Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports

FLUSHING, NY — La Bestia does it best. 

Forty five minutes before Ronald Acuña Jr. made a special announcement to the world on Sportscenter Wednesday night regarding his plans of participating in MLB’s 2025 Home Run Derby, the 27-year-old superstar of La Sabana, Venezuela received his long-awaited 2023 National League LatinoMVP Award. 

The LatinoMVP Award is the oldest and most prestigious award given to Latino MLB athletes dating back to 1990—a year in which founder and president of Latino Sports Julio Pabón—along with various reporters from the Caribbean made the ultimate decision of naming Rubén Sierra the first-ever LatinoMVP Award recipient—after being overlooked for MLB’s 1989 American League MVP Award, which was won by Robin Yount. 

Due to the Braves’ face of the franchise—Acuña Jr.—the most electrifying player in all of baseball—unfortunately going down with a torn ACL in May of 2024, Latino Sports and the Braves’ communications/player relations staff planned together in surprising the four-time All-Star with his one of a kind award from 2023, crafted by nationally acclaimed artist James Fiorentino, Wednesday at Citi Field prior to Atlanta facing the Mets. 

“Thank you for the support and thank you for sending us all these blessings,” Acuña Jr. said in Spanish moments after he received his 2023 NL LatinoMVP Award from Fiorentino and Latino Sports’ social media manager Hector Beauchamp in the visiting dugout. 

“To all the Latino baseball players, we are here!” 

Acuña Jr., taking the reins from Miguel Cabrera as the best active Venezuelan-born player in the game, posted a historic 2023 campaign included with 41 home runs, and 73 stolen bases, resulting in him establishing a new club in MLB, one the sport has never laid eyes on before—the 40-70 club (40 HRs and 70 SBs in a given season). 

For his dominant year on the diamond while demonstrating his commitment in being a role model to the youth and those who come after him, Acuña Jr. was named the winner of the 2023 NL LatinoMVP unanimously after votes were casted by members of the Latino Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association. 

“I always watched Miguel Cabrera from when I was a child,” Acuña Jr. noted of players he idolized, one being Cabrera who won the LatinoMVP on five different occasions across his legendary 21-year MLB career, as well as David Ortiz, a multiple-time LatinoMVP Award winner. 

“My dad was also still a role model for me. I was looking at them a lot. He always said he wanted to be like him (Cabrera).” 

So it goes, as he continues to dominate and genuinely enjoy himself in the process, making baseball exciting for all of those watching, Acuña Jr. contains the full capabilities and potential in stacking up additional LatinoMVP Awards.

Just like his idols Cabrera and Ortiz did. 

Latino Sports would like to recognize and send a thank you to the Braves’ communications and players relations staff, including Franco Garcia, who assisted our team in presenting Acuña Jr. with his well-deserved LatinoMVP Award.

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