MLB MVP 2020: Jose Abreu Wins AL MVP, Freddie Freeman Captures NL Honors

Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was named the Most Valuable Player in the National League during the 2020 season Thursday, while Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu took home American League MVP honors.

The Baseball Writers Association of America provided the voting results for MLB's top individual award in both leagues:

The coronavirus pandemic transformed the 2020 MLB season from a 162-game marathon into a 60-game sprint. It also created a situation in which a single slump, even a modest one, was enough to take a player out of MVP consideration because of the smaller sample sizes.

It's hard to quantify exactly what it takes to win the regular season's highest honor because the voter base has a diversified view of the race. Some voters still prefer traditional stats like batting average and home runs, while others prefer advanced metrics led by WAR, which itself has multiple calculations.

In addition, Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber threw a wrinkle into this year's conversation on the AL side by putting himself in the MVP race, a feat that takes a truly special season from a pitcher.

During a year in which the Braves' starting rotation lost six key assets to either injury, pandemic opt-outs or poor performance, the offense picked up the slack in a major way, and Freddie Freeman led the charge. The veteran first baseman has long been on the fringe of the MVP discussion, and he finally broke through.

Freeman posted a career-best .341/.462/.640 triple-slash line en route to a 1.102 OPS, which ranked second in MLB. He also tallied 13 home runs and had more walks (45) than strikeouts (37). His production helped Atlanta rank first in OPS and second in runs scored as a team.

The 31-year-old California native has been the Braves' franchise cornerstone for a long time. While he's not as flashy as their newer superstar, Ronald Acuna Jr., his consistency remains crucial to the club's success.

Freeman beat out the Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts and San Diego Padres' Manny Machado, among others, for the NL MVP.

Abreu was the king of counting stats during the regular season. He ranked first in runs batted in (60) and second in home runs (19) among all hitters to go along with a strong .317 average. He also finished in the top 10 of OPS (.987).

Along with the terrific numbers, his MVP case was bolstered by his value to the White Sox. His 2.6 WAR was 18.2 percent higher than the next-highest player on the team (Tim Anderson, 2.2), per FanGraphs. No other Chicago hitter was higher than 1.7.

Abreu edged a group led by the New York Yankees' DJ LeMahieu and Indians' Jose Ramirez to capture MVP. The Cuban star is the first White Sox player to win the award since Frank Thomas went back-to-back in 1993 and 1994.

Last year's winners were the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger and the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout, who took home the AL MVP trophy for a third time.