[WATCH] Ronald Acuna Jr. displays incredible left-handed hitting prowess as NL MVP looks to defend crown in 2024

Ronald Acuna Jr. is one of the best hitters in the entire world, and he does it from the right side of the plate. He's a right-handed player who dominates from that side of the plate. His hitting was a major reason he captured the 2023 NL MVP award. He's not a switch hitter, at least not yet. The latest video from Bally Sports Braves suggests he very well could be. Check it out below:

Acuna is one of the league's best hitters, so imagine if he could bring that success into a switch-hitting role. In the video, the reigning NL MVP crushed a few pitches from the left side, including one that presumably landed beyond the fence.

Acuna Jr. hit to the tune of a 170 wRC+, which was second-best in all of baseball. Only Shohei Ohtani had a better metric. If he could successfully add switch hitting to his tool belt, he would become a valuable weapon.

He would be a matchup nightmare, as opposing managers would not be able to bring in a righty to face him since he could just turn it around and hit from the other side.

Ultimately, this is all very unlikely. Hitting from both sides is a very rare skill that few MLB stars possess. Adding it this late into his career is a long shot, and there's a very big difference between hitting a batting practice pitch and something thrown by Gerrit Cole or Corbin Burnes.

---

Can Ronald Acuna Jr. repeat as MVP?

Ronald Acuna Jr. faces a tall task to repeat as MVP. It's not often that someone wins the prestigious award two years in a row, and it will be hard to convince the voters to vote for him a second time.

Can Ronald Acuna Jr. win MVP again?

He also has stiff competition in the National League now, with Shohei Ohtani signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, since Ohtani's not pitching in 2024, this is the year for someone else to win.

Acuna Jr. had an 8.3 fWAR last year, and Fangraphs projects him to have 7.3 this year. They also project a .318 batting average and a 162 wRC+. Those aren't mindblowing numbers, but a 7.3 fWAR was around what 2022 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt had, so it's far from impossible.