Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman wins NL MVP

Freddie Freeman (Courtesy Kevin D. Liles/Braves)

Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves won the NL MVP, becoming the 16th first baseman to win the award in the NL.

The list includes three-time winner Albert Pujols (2005, 2008, 2009), Frank McCormick in 1940, Dolph Camilli in 1941, Phil Cavarretta in 1945, Stan Musial in 1946 (he also won twice as an outfielder), Orlando Cepeda in 1967, Willie McCovery in 1969, Steve Garvey in 1974, Keith Hernandez and Willie Stargell in a tie in 1979, Jeff Bagwell in 1994, Ryan Howard in 2006 and Joey Votto in 2010.

The AL MVP Award has been won by a first baseman 15 times. This is the third time both MVPs in the same season were first basemen. It also occurred in 1994, with Frank Thomas in the AL and Bagwell in the NL, and in 2006 with Justin Morneau in the AL and Howard in the NL. 

This marks the seventh time a Braves player has been honored. The others were two-time winner Dale Murphy in 1982 and ‘83, Bob Elliott in 1947, Henry Aaron in 1957, Terry Pendleton in 1991 and Chipper Jones in 1999.

Mookie Betts, the 2018 AL MVP with the Red Sox, came the closest to matching Frank Robinson’s feat of winning MVPs in both leagues (in the NL with the Reds in 1961 and in the AL with the Orioles in 1966). Betts is the first player to have won an MVP in one league and been the runner-up in the other. 

Freeman, Betts, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Marcell Ozuna were named to every ballot.

Ballots, submitted before the start of the postseason, were cast by two writers in each league city. They are tabulated on a system that rewards 14 points for first place, nine for second, eight for third on down to one for 10th.

2020 NL MVP

1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10thPoints
Freddie Freeman, Braves282410
Mookie Betts, Dodgers221511268
Manny Machado, Padres2167221221
Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres25145211201
Juan Soto, Nationals32510422172
Marcell Ozuna, Braves2111142167
Trea Turner, Nationals21686483
Mike Yastrzemski, Giants13863381
Corey Seager, Dodgers3234343
Trevor Bauer, Reds1322432
Trevor Story, Rockies241123
Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves25521
Dominic Smith, Mets24216
Yu Darvish, Cubs22214
Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals1119
Brandon Belt, Giants 12
Wil Myers, Padres 12
Max Fried, Braves11
Ian Happ, Cubs11
Dansby Swanson, Braves11
Ryan Tepera, Cubs 11
Devin Williams, Brewers 11

View individual ballots on separate page