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For the first time in this millennium, a Braves player has won the National League’s Most Valuable Player award. The NL 2020 MVP is first baseman Freddie Freeman, who has just finished a stellar season with the bat that should be considered his career year.
Freeman, 31, was previously close to the price, but it was by far his best move. His previous top 10 rankings were fifth (2013), sixth (2016), fourth (2018) and eighth (2019) before being the best dog of the season. Freeman hit .341 / .462 / .640 (186 OPS +) with 23 doubles, a triple, 13 homers, 53 RBI, 51 runs, two interceptions and 2.9 WAR during the abridged 2020 campaign.
Freeman led the majors in doubles and points while in the NL he was second on average, second in percentage on goals, second in slugging, third in hits, second in total goals, second in RBI and third in steps. He also led the league in hits and times on base. It’s as complete a profile as the best hitter in the league could ask for, looking for both rate and count stats.
Freeman becomes the first Braves player since Chipper Jones (1999) to win the NL MVP. A funny note: While Freeman wouldn’t have been a bad bet at the start of the season, one of the favorites in NL betting was teammate Ronald Acuna Jr. Either way, it’s Freeman who joins Jones. , Terry Pendleton (1991), Dale Murphy (1982-83) and Hank Aaron (1957) as Braves players to earn MVP.
Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts was second. Betts, 28, hit .292 / .366 / .562 (149 OPS +) with nine doubles, a triple, 16 home runs, 39 RBI, 47 runs, 10 interceptions and 3.4 WAR in 55 games for the Champions of the World Series. He was also one of baseball’s best defensive players by several metrics, such as defensive runs recorded, above-par outs, and defensive warfare. Keep in mind that the playoffs don’t count. Betts are a worthy finalist, but it makes sense to see him fail here. He was shooting to join the Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players in MLB history to win an MVP in both leagues.
Padres third baseman Manny Machado was third in the vote. Machado was a slight disappointment in his first year at San Diego, but rebounded with a huge 2020 season for the upstart Padres. He hit .304 / .370 / .580 (158 OPS +) with 12 doubles, triple, 16 homers, 47 RBIs, 44 runs, six interceptions and 2.8 WAR with his usual stellar defense at third base. This marks the best result as a career-voting MVP, as he’s already finished fourth twice, fifth twice and ninth once.
Here are the top 10 NL MVP finalists voting for 2020 with total votes:
- Freeman, 410
- Betts, 268
- Machado, 221 years old
- Fernando Tatis Jr., parents, 201
- Juan Soto, nationals, 172
- Marcell Ozuna, Braves, 167
- Trea Turner, nationals, 83
- Mike Yastrzemski, Giants, 81
- Corey Seager, Dodgers, 43
- Trevor Bauer, red, 32
The full breakdown of votes is available at bbwaa.org.
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