Jose Abreu and Freddie Freeman -- two players who played on national teams in WBSC Baseball World Cups -- won the 2020 Major League Baseball (MLB) season Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards.
Abreu, the everyday first baseman for the Chicago White Sox, was named the MVP of the American League. The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) gave Abreu 374 votes.
Abreu was born in Cruces, Cuba, in 1987. He made his debut in the island's Serie Nacional for Cienfuegos as a 16-year old in 2003 and went on to become a 30-home-run hitter and an All-Star first baseman. Abreu, pictured in the cover photo, represented Cuba in the WBSC Baseball World Cup 2011. He helped Cuba earn a silver medal batting .442 with three home runs. He was named the All-World team first baseman.
He agreed to a six-year and US$68 million contract with the White Sox in October 2013 and was voted the American League Rookie of the Year in 2013.
Freeman is the starting first baseman for the Atlanta Braves. He was named MLB's National League MVP almost unanimously by the BBWAA. He earned 28 first-places out of 30, a total of 410 votes.
Freeman was born in 1989 in California to Canadian parents. He played third base and was a relief pitcher at the El Modena High School in Orange, California. He helped the USA Baseball junior National Team win a silver medal at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2006. He turned down a scholarship from California State University Fullerton when the Atlanta Braves picked him in the second round of the 2007 Draft. He signed for a US$409,500 bonus. He made his MLB debut in September 2010.
