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On Thursday night, Major League Baseball announced the recipients of this year’s Most Valuable Player Award, giving out its final two pieces of silverware. Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves defeated first baseman Freddie Freeman and outfielder Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the National League title. This is the first time since 1931 when the winners of both leagues have gotten unanimous support: Acuña and AL winner Shohei Ohtani.
The Baseball Writers Association of America members cast their votes at the end of the regular season, for those who might not be familiar with how MLB awards are determined. This implies that the postseason is not taken into consideration. The MLB and BBWAA have been revealing their winners in various categories throughout the week. Let’s review:
- Monday, Nov. 13: Gunnar Henderson and Corbin Carroll named Rookies of the Year;
- Tuesday, Nov. 14: Skip Schumaker and Brandon Hyde named Managers of the Year;
- Weds., Nov. 15: Gerrit Cole and Blake Snell named Cy Youngs;
- Thurs., Nov. 15: Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. named Most Valuable Players
Acuña, 25, had placed fifth in 2019 and was considered for MVP honours in three prior seasons. With a batting line of.337/.416/.596 (168 OPS+), 41 home runs, and 73
stolen bases this season, he eclipsed everyone else. With Acuña’s season, a player has crossed the 40–70 threshold for the first time. It should be emphasised that this season follows the implementation of new MLB rules that encouraged stolen bases, which does not lessen his brilliance. In Acuña’s situation, MLB obviously achieved its desire.
Baseball Reference calculated that Acuña’s efforts were worth an estimated 8.2 Wins Above Replacement.
Here’s the full voting breakdown:
| PLAYER | 1ST PLACE | 2ND | 3RD | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronald Acuna Jr. | 30 | – | – | 420 |
| Mookie Betts | – | 30 | – | 270 |
| Freddie Freeman | – | – | 17 | 227 |
| Matt Olson | – | – | 13 | 223 |
| Corbin Carroll | – | – | – | 165 |
| Juan Soto | – | – | – | 106 |
| Austin Riley | – | – | – | 68 |
| Luis Arraez | – | – | – | 67 |
| Francisco Lindor | – | – | – | 52 |
| Cody Bellinger | – | – | – | 49 |
| William Contreras | – | – | – | 39 |
| Bryce Harper | – | – | – | 36 |
| Blake Snell | – | – | – | 16 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | – | – | – | 5 |
| Ha-Seong Kim | – | – | – | 5 |
| Ozzie Albies | – | – | – | 4 |
| Logan Webb | – | – | – | 3 |
| Pete Alonso | – | – | – | 3 |
| Marcell Ozuna | – | – | – | 2 |
| Devin Williams | – | – | – | 2 |
| Dansby Swanson | – | – | – | 2 |
| Kyle Schwarber | – | – | – | 2 |
| Zac Gallen | – | – | – | 1 |
| Christian Walker | – | – | – | 1 |
| TJ Friedl | – | – | – | 1 |
| Nick Castellanos | – | – | – | 1 |
An MVP Award has been earned by a Braves player nine times now. Acuña becomes a member of the club that also includes Johnny Evers (1914), Chipper Jones (1999), Dale Murphy (1982, 1983), Henry Aaron (1957), Robert Elliott (1947), and Freddie Freeman (2020). (Because the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, Aaron’s victory occurred during the team’s Milwaukee tenure, while Elliott and Evers’ victories were achieved while playing for the Boston Braves.)
Freeman and Betts both had outstanding seasons. Betts had a 163 OPS+, 39 home runs, and 107 RBI while hitting.307,.408, and.579. His performance was worth 8.3 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference. Freeman had 29 home runs, 102 RBI, and a batting line of.331/.410/.567 (161 OPS+). It was determined that his season was worth 6.5 Wins Above Replacement.
