Cardinals third baseman David Freese, a native of St. Louis, has become just the sixth player to be named the MVP of the the League Championship Series and the World Series. "I don't have a word yet to describe David Freese," Albert Pujols said after the Cardinals won their 11th World Series. "To be able to go through the things he's done in his career, just shows who David Freese is." Freese batted .348 against Texas, with seven RBIs, three doubles and one big homer. He drove in 21 runs in the postseason, shattering the previous record. "This is why you keep battling," Freese said. "Sometimes things don't work out, you get injured, you do stupid stuff, but you try to stay on path. You surround yourself with guys like we have on this team. I'm so glad to be part of this."

The Cardinals won a World Series they weren't even supposed to reach, beating the Rangers 6-2 in Game 7 on Friday night with another key hit by David Freese and six innings from Chris Carpenter. "This whole ride, this team deserves this," said Freese, who added the Series MVP award to his trophy as the NL championship MVP.

David Ortiz of the Red Sox was named the winner of the 2011 Roberto Clemente Award on Thursday for his community service contributions and value to his team. Commissioner Bud Selig cited Ortiz for his efforts to "support and provide relief" for children in the United States, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. "David's many accomplishments helping children in need have been really, really extraordinary," Selig told a news conference prior to Game Two of the World Series. "I know, David, that Roberto Clemente would be very proud of you and the efforts that you've made."

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was named this year's winner of the Warren Spahn Award on Thursday as the game's best left-hander. The award, which is presented annually by the Bricktown Rotary Club of Oklahoma City and the Jim Thorpe Association, is based on a pitcher's wins, strikeouts and ERA, with Kershaw having led the NL or tied for the lead in all three categories.

Nobody has ever had a postseason power surge like Nelson Cruz just did in the ALCS. With a two-run homer Saturday night, Cruz upped his ALCS totals to six homers and 13 RBIs, both major league records for a postseason series. The numbers will hold, too, because his Rangers beat the Tigers 15-5 in Game 6 to advance to the World Series for the second straight year. "When the team needed me, I delivered," Cruz said during the on-field ceremony after receiving his MVP trophy. "It was amazing."

On Friday, Baseball America named Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp their 2011 Player of the Year. As measured by Baseball-Reference's adjusted OPS metric -- Kemp had the most productive offensive season by any center fielder in the last 30 years. Like Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997, Kemp led his league in homers, RBIs and runs scored. Kemp flirted with winning the Triple Crown, and he flirted with becoming the fifth player in baseball history to join the 40-40 club, falling one home run short. He also produced in a big way. He batted .324/.399/.586 and led the National League with 39 home runs, 126 RBIs, 115 runs scored and 353 total bases. He made his first all-star team. He stole 40 bases in 51 attempts.

Outfielders Lance Berkman and Jacoby Ellsbury received the Comeback Player of the Year Awards for their bounce-back 2011 seasons, Major League Baseball announced Thursday.