Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman is among the three National League Most Valuable Player finalists. BBWAA award finalists were announced Monday evening during a two-hour special on MLB Network.
Freeman is joined as a finalist by Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, who was the American League MVP two seasons ago, and Padres third baseman Manny Machado. The winner will be announced Nov. 12.
After missing almost all preseason summer camp with COVID-19, Freeman returned five days before opening day and assembled the best campaign of his career. Freeman hit .341/.462/.640 with 13 homers, an MLB-leading 23 doubles, 53 RBIs and 51 runs scored. His 3.4 fWAR was second highest in the majors.
Freeman, 31, played in all 60 games while providing his usual Gold Glove-worthy defense. He finished strong, winning NL Player of the Month for September after hitting .375/.496/.750 with eight homers and 32 RBIs – while drawing more walks (20) than strikeouts (14) – over the final month.
Betts, in his first season with the champion Dodgers, hit .292/.366/.562 with 16 homers, 39 RBIs and 47 runs scored. Machado, in his second season with the resurgent Padres, hit .304/.370/.580 with 16 homers, 47 RBIs and 44 runs scored. Both players produced on successful clubs: The Dodgers won an MLB-best 47 games, while the Padres' 37 wins were the second best in the NL.
Freeman, meanwhile, was the centerpiece of an offense that was on pace to shatter several franchise records over a full season. Freeman’s consistent performance and leadership helped the Braves to a 35-25 record, which earned their third consecutive NL East title.
Freeman is vying to become the sixth Braves player to win an MVP award (since 1931), joining Bob Elliott (1947), Hank Aaron (1957), Dale Murphy (1982, 1983), Terry Pendleton (1991) and Chipper Jones (1999).
No first baseman has won the honor in either league since Joey Votto in 2010. At age 31, Freeman would be the oldest NL MVP since Barry Bonds, 40, won it in 2004.
