NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of first basemen have come away with baseball’s MVP awards.
The American League MVP is White Sox first baseman José Abreu (ah-BRAY’-oo), who came away with 21 of 30 first-place votes to edge Indians third baseman José Ramírez and Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu.
Abreu led the majors with 60 RBIs and 148 total bases, and topped the AL with 76 hits and a .617 slugging percentage. The 33-year-old Abreu batted .317 with 19 home runs, connecting six times in a three-game series against the Cubs in late August.
Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman is the National League MVP, claiming 28 of 30 first-place votes to beat out Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts and Padres third baseman Manny Machado.
Freeman had a strong season after contracting COVID-19 just before the season began in July, batting .341 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs while playing all 60 games. He topped the majors with 23 doubles and 51 runs scored in helping the Braves win the NL East.
— The White Sox are sticking with new manager Tony La Russa for now, saying they understand the “seriousness” of his latest drunken driving case. The club said in a statement Thursday that it will “have more to say” once the case is resolved. The Hall of Fame manager was arrested on misdemeanor DUI charges in February, when he blew out a tire in a collision with a curb, according to an affidavit filed by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. He has pleaded not guilty.
— Braves’ assistant general manager Perry Minasian has been named the Angels’ general manager, replacing Billy Eppler. Minasian spent the past three years in the Braves’ front office, including the past two seasons as their vice president of baseball operations. The 40-year-old Minasian has been in baseball since he was an 8-year-old batboy for the Rangers, where his father, Zack, was the team’s clubhouse manager.
