Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was often considered baseball's most underrated and underappreciated player. His long-due day of recognition came Thursday.
Freeman was named National League MVP, receiving 28 of 30 first-place votes from BBWAA writers. Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts finished second with two first-place votes. Padres third baseman Manny Machado finished third.
The award appropriately caps off the best season of Freeman's career: He hit .341/.462/.640 with 13 homers, an MLB-leading 23 doubles, 53 RBIs and 51 runs scored while playing in all 60 games. The Braves, with Freeman hitting second or third daily, produced arguably the best offense in franchise history. The 31-year-old also added his usual stellar defense. Freeman was the best player on a team that went 35-25 and won its third consecutive division title.
Beloved former Brave Dale Murphy, the only individual in franchise history to win multiple MVPs, announced the results during a special on MLB Network. Freeman, Betts and Machado each fielded questions for roughly 20 minutes before the announcement.
Freeman is the Braves' sixth MVP. He's the fourth to win the honor since the franchise relocated to Atlanta before the 1966 season. He joins Bob Elliott (1947), Hank Aaron (1957), Murphy (1982, 1983), Terry Pendleton (1991) and Chipper Jones (1999) in Braves immortality.
The MVP award looks even more meaningful in context. When MLB returned from its virus-induced hiatus in early July, most were skeptical even a shortened season could finish. The Braves were especially concerned when Freeman, the face of the organization, tested positive for COVID-19 on July 3 as players reported to summer camps.
That night, Freeman couldn't sleep. He was battling body aches, pains and a fever that peaked at 104.5.
"I said a little prayer that night," Freeman recalled. "I've never been that hot before. My body was really, really hot. So I said, 'Please don't take me.' I wasn't ready. It got a little worrisome that night."
The next morning, Braves manager Brian Snitker informed reporters that Freeman had tested positive and would be out indefinitely. Freeman, meanwhile, was past the worst of his fever. He'd be fever-free July 6 and regained his sense of taste and smell by July 9.
While he wasn't exhibiting symptoms, Freeman couldn't register the back-to-back negative tests needed to rejoin his team. Snitker said the Braves would "need to make a decision soon" about Freeman on July 16, eight days before opening day.
The next morning, Braves trainer George Poulis told Freeman he'd recorded consecutive negatives. Freeman had several tests done at Emory and was cleared at 1 p.m. He was at Truist Park an hour later, working out during the team's scheduled off day.
Freeman hit in every inning during the exhibition games in preparation for July 24. It worked: Freeman was in the opening-day lineup. After it seemed he'd miss the start of the season, he wound up playing every game.
It wasn't totally smooth when Freeman returned. He struggled out of the gate, hitting .190 (8-for-42) across his first 13 games. He looked rusty, and while that was understandable, he wouldn't use it as an excuse — just as he wouldn't use the bone spurs in his elbow as an excuse the previous postseason.
When Freeman caught fire, however, he never cooled off. And when the MVP race came down to the final month, he was at his best. Freeman hit .375/.496/.750 with eight homers and 32 RBIs — with more walks (20) than strikeouts (14) — in September, winning NL Player of the Month.
Freeman's strong finish seemed to secure his MVP award. He was considered the favorite as the regular season concluded. His Braves fell short of their ultimate goal, losing the NL Championship Series in seven games to the champion Dodgers, but it was still the franchise's best postseason run in nearly two decades and Freeman provided two memorable moments.
White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu won American League MVP. It was the first time both league MVPs were first basemen. Freeman and Abreu also snapped a 10-year drought for first basemen and the MVP award. Before Thursday, Cincinnati's Joey Votto was the last first baseman to win an MVP (2010). Freeman, 31, is also the oldest NL MVP since Barry Bonds won it in 2004 at age 40.
The award was a long-time coming for Freeman, who's quietly been among baseball's most consistent superstars. Freeman's game and personality aren't flashy, however, and at times he's even overshadowed on his own team, which is loaded with talented and exciting players.
But his production, consistency and intangibles couldn't be overlooked in 2020. As a result, Freeman has further cemented himself as a franchise icon. Consider him underappreciated by the national audience no more.
