Atlanta's Freddie Freeman wins NL MVP Award

Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman easily won the NL MVP award Thursday, topping off a trying year that saw him become so ill with COVID-19 he prayed "please don’t take me."

Freeman got 28 of the 30 first-place ballots in voting by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts got the other two firsts to finish second and San Diego third baseman Manny Machado was third.

In a season affected from spring training to the World Series by the pandemic, perhaps it was fitting the final major award of the year went to someone infected by the virus.

Three weeks before the delayed opening day in late July, Freeman’s body temperature spiked at 104.5 degrees and he lost his sense of taste and smell. At one point, he recalled, he said a little prayer because "I wasn’t ready."

"I got off to such a slow start," Freeman said on the MLB Network after Dale Murphy, a two-time NL MVP with Atlanta, announced the winner. "I just didn't know when I would get my legs back."

The 31-year-old Freeman quickly found his footing, batting .341 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs while playing all 60 games. A powerful lefty batter with the ability to spray the ball all over the field, he led the majors in hitting 23 doubles and scoring 51 runs.

Boosted by the four-time All-Star, Atlanta won the NL East and came within one win of reaching the World Series for the first time since 1999.

Freeman is the sixth different player in Atlanta franchise history to be the NL MVP. Chipper Jones most recently took the honor in 1999 -- Freeman wears a tattered Atlanta T-shirt under his uniform that was passed down to him from Jones.

Betts was bidding to join Frank Robinson as the only players to win the MVP in both leagues. The 28-year-old outfielder earned the AL honor in 2018 while leading Boston to the World Series title.

Traded by the Red Sox to Los Angeles early this year, Betts hit .292 with 16 homers and 39 RBIs and was the catalyst in the Dodgers’ run to their first championship since 1988.

Machado hit .304 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs as San Diego made its first playoff appearance since 2006. Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. finished fourth in the voting and Washington outfielder Juan Soto was fifth.

This will be the first time in more than 75 years the MVP trophies don’t carry the name and likeness of Kenesaw Mountain Landis, baseball’s first commissioner.

In an Associated Press story in late June, former MVPs Barry Larkin, Terry Pendleton and Mike Schmidt said they favored pulling Landis’ name off future plaques because of concerns over his handling of Black players.

Landis became commissioner in 1920 and no Blacks played in the majors through his reign that ended when he died in 1944. Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947.

White Sox comment on La Russa case

The Chicago White Sox are sticking with new manager Tony La Russa for now, saying they understand the "seriousness" of his latest drunken driving case and will have more to say once it plays out in court.

La Russa, a Hall of Fame manager who won a World Series with Oakland and two more with St. Louis, blew out a tire on the grey Lexus he was driving in a collision with a curb that left the vehicle smoking when he was arrested on misdemeanor DUI charges in February, according to an affidavit filed by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

The case was filed on Oct. 28 — one day before his hiring — after tests taken the night of his arrest showed his blood alcohol concentration was .095 — above the legal limit of .08. He has pleaded not guilty.

The White Sox were aware of the case when they hired him. They initially declined comment Monday, saying it was "an active case."

La Russa pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in Florida in 2007 after police found him asleep inside his running sport utility vehicle at a stop light and smelling of alcohol.

The White Sox plan to hire Ethan Katz as their pitching coach, a person familiar with the situation said on Thursday.

Angels make Minasian GM

Perry Minasian has been named the Los Angeles Angels’ general manager.

The Angels announced the hiring of the Atlanta assistant general manager to replace Billy Eppler. Minasian got a four-year contract.

"His background in scouting and player development along with his unique understanding of roster construction were the leading factors in our decision," Angels owner Arte Moreno said in a statement.

Minasian spent the past three years in the Braves’ front office with GM Alex Anthopoulos.