Freddie Freeman

[AUTiger7222]

I remember I got in the argument on here (before the board switch) about where Freddie Freeman stacks up among 1st basemen in the majors. I took the stance that he was a top 10 1st baseman. One of the things I was told was that in order for Freeman to be a top 10 1st baseman that he would have to post an OPS of .900. Well it's August 12th and Freeman is pretty freaking close to that .900 OPS mark.

Freeman - .313/.393/.482 (.876) - 104 G, 450 PA, 396 AB, 65 R, 124 H, 21 2B, 2 3B, 14 HR, 79 RBI, 48 BB, 88 SO, 1 SB

He's not hit for as many homeruns as I expected but he's still hit for some power, just more doubles power than homerun power.

And I will admit that I was wrong on 1 thing. I was wrong on saying that Freeman has more power than McCann. Clearly I was wrong on that and had forgotten just how much power McCann was capable of hitting for when he's healthy.

[yeezus]

I don't see how someone could say he's not a top-10 1B.
He's 5th in WAR, wOBA, WRC+.
Not many 1B have a .900 OPS the last few years.

[zbhargrove]

Freddie is simply the heart of our team right now... he's always so excited... he's always laughing and pumping the other guys up... he's turning into a real leader.

[AUTiger7222]

Freddie is simply the heart of our team right now... he's always so excited... he's always laughing and pumping the other guys up... he's turning into a real leader.

They've all got that kind of energy. This is a fun team. I haven't had this much fun watching Braves baseball in years. It's why I feel this year will be different come playoff time. These guys play loose won't get tight come playoff time which will lead to success.

[zbhargrove]

They've all got that kind of energy. This is a fun team. I haven't had this much fun watching Braves baseball in years. It's why I feel this year will be different come playoff time. These guys play loose won't get tight come playoff time which will lead to success.

I agree they are all a pumped up bunch, but just from observing, I feel like Freddie has really taken the leadership role by the horns... him and Mac. I really want Freddie extended. His HR power will increase slightly, also and I think he's got a great shot at a batting title. Hard to believe he's still only 23 with his hitting skill.

[nsacpi]

Ranks 5th among first basemen in wOBA behind Chris Davis, Votto, Golschmidt and Encarnacion

[AUTiger7222]

I agree they are all a pumped up bunch, but just from observing, I feel like Freddie has really taken the leadership role by the horns... him and Mac. I really want Freddie extended. His HR power will increase slightly, also and I think he's got a great shot at a batting title. Hard to believe he's still only 23 with his hitting skill.

I agree that Freeman has really taken on a leadership role.

[AUTiger7222]

Ranks 5th among first basemen in wOBA behind Chris Davis, Votto, Golschmidt and Encarnacion

And Encarnacion has his playing time almost split between 1B and DH. But 5th is really good.

[50PoundHead]

All I know is that the guy's hitting fundamentals are as strong as I've seen in a young player in a long, long time.

[zitothebrave]

I agree they are all a pumped up bunch, but just from observing, I feel like Freddie has really taken the leadership role by the horns... him and Mac. I really want Freddie extended. His HR power will increase slightly, also and I think he's got a great shot at a batting title. Hard to believe he's still only 23 with his hitting skill.

While I won't say Freddie won't win a batting title (never know) I don't believe there has been many batting champs with 20+ K% so it won't be easy. Freeman doesn't have the classic approach that the guys who usually win it do. He's benefitting this year from a very high BABIP that won't be easy to replicate. He will be a good average hitter though. But I wouldn't say he's got a shot at being a batting champ. Of course you never know, odder things have happened, but I wouldn't bet on it.

[yeezus]

While I won't say Freddie won't win a batting title (never know) I don't believe there has been many batting champs with 20+ K% so it won't be easy. Freeman doesn't have the classic approach that the guys who usually win it do. He's benefitting this year from a very high BABIP that won't be easy to replicate. He will be a good average hitter though. But I wouldn't say he's got a shot at being a batting champ. Of course you never know, odder things have happened, but I wouldn't bet on it.

To be fair, his K rate has dropped every season in the league while his BB rate keeps going up.

[zitothebrave]

To be fair, his K rate has dropped every season in the league while his BB rate keeps going up.

Given his swing rate I don't see him dropping too much further. He could prove me wrong and I hope he does. Just wouldn't bet on him. He should be a fine player, but I think some people may get upset with the lofty goals they're putting on his shoulders if he doesn't reach them. Very real chance Freddie could be a very good 1B for years to come but some will be upset cause he's not one of the 3 best in baseball.

[yeezus]

Given his swing rate I don't see him dropping too much further. He could prove me wrong and I hope he does. Just wouldn't bet on him. He should be a fine player, but I think some people may get upset with the lofty goals they're putting on his shoulders if he doesn't reach them. Very real chance Freddie could be a very good 1B for years to come but some will be upset cause he's not one of the 3 best in baseball.

I'll be extremely happy if he can be as good as he's been this year every year. I do think he could add more power. Very young and a big guy.

[Dunit24]

All I need to say is lock him up for 10 years before its too late.

[zitothebrave]

I'll be extremely happy if he can be as good as he's been this year every year. I do think he could add more power. Very young and a big guy.

Problem with power and Freeman is his swing. I think he will likely plateau in the 25-30 range. He will have a few seasons above and below that but that's about where I see his limit. While he's a big man, he has a swing similar to Chase Utley's and and the only reason Utley was a 30 homer guy was CBP.

[AUTiger7222]

Given his swing rate I don't see him dropping too much further. He could prove me wrong and I hope he does. Just wouldn't bet on him. He should be a fine player, but I think some people may get upset with the lofty goals they're putting on his shoulders if he doesn't reach them. Very real chance Freddie could be a very good 1B for years to come but some will be upset cause he's not one of the 3 best in baseball.

Freeman's walk rate and strikeout rates are going in the right directions. Sure he's got a great BABIP but I think with his approach at the plate (whole field hitting) and linedrive approach he's going to most years post a high BABIP. Last year when he was only at .295 was the exception, not the rule with Freddie. 2011 he was a .339 and this year he's at .373. Those are the kind of seasons I think we can expect from Freeman. The only red flag I think anyone can realistically have with Freddie's approach is the amount of 1st pitches he swings at, but Chipper swung at a lot of 1st pitches in his career and it worked out well for him. I'm not saying Freeman is going to have a Chipper type of career, that would be stupid. But I think Freeman, even if he never gets any better than he is today will have a hell of a career and I'll be happy with it.

[yeezus]

Problem with power and Freeman is his swing. I think he will likely plateau in the 25-30 range. He will have a few seasons above and below that but that's about where I see his limit. While he's a big man, he has a swing similar to Chase Utley's and and the only reason Utley was a 30 homer guy was CBP.

I would still be very happy if he averaged between 25-30 for his career with a .280-.300 average. Definitely not saying I think he'll be a 40 homer guy ever. 25-30 is where I'm at as well.

[AUTiger7222]

Problem with power and Freeman is his swing. I think he will likely plateau in the 25-30 range. He will have a few seasons above and below that but that's about where I see his limit. While he's a big man, he has a swing similar to Chase Utley's and and the only reason Utley was a 30 homer guy was CBP.

I would be thrilled with that.

[zitothebrave]

I would be thrilled with that.

Me too.

[zbhargrove]

To be fair, his K rate has dropped every season in the league while his BB rate keeps going up.

Not to mention he's only 23... many 23 year olds are still learning to play the game in the minors... he really doesn't have any shot at refining his game year after year?

[zbhargrove]

I would still be very happy if he averaged between 25-30 for his career with a .280-.300 average. Definitely not saying I think he'll be a 40 homer guy ever. 25-30 is where I'm at as well.

Yes when I was speaking of increased power potential in the future... I was more talking in the 30 homer range... not anything crazy like 40+ all the time.

[yeezus]

Not to mention he's only 23... many 23 year olds are still learning to play the game in the minors... he really doesn't have any shot at refining his game year after year?

He's pretty much been refining it every year. And yes, he's extremely young and is making strides every year.

[Diesel]

Problem with power and Freeman is his swing. I think he will likely plateau in the 25-30 range. He will have a few seasons above and below that but that's about where I see his limit. While he's a big man, he has a swing similar to Chase Utley's and and the only reason Utley was a 30 homer guy was CBP.

I guess you are comparing his swing with Utley's because of the abbreviated finish. I don't think that really affects power. Justin has an abbreviated finish as well. Remember when you said Freeman's swing would limit his off-field power? Still going with that?

Pitch selection is one of the factors that is keeping FF's homer totals down. He puts a lot of balls in play that he shouldn't even swing at, though he is still able to barrell quite a few up and find a hole. I don't think he is a 40 homer guy either, but his swing and power is just fine.

[wheresmykayak]

I think his LOB% (Not left on base - Love of Baseball) is off the scale. I mean, he hugs his teammates, who are all baseball players. How could you love baseball more than that?

He's quickly turned into one of my favorites, and is an anchor to that lineup. Sure, he swings a lot, but he makes pretty consistent contact. I have confidence he can adapt - after all, the book has been out on him for a while, and he still keeps getting better and better. I think the Votto comparisons aren't all that far fetched.

[cajunrevenge]

I think Freeman could hit a lot more homers if he swung for the fences every at bat like the Uptons. I think he could hit .260 and hit 30+ homers a year but he focuses on hitting line drives instead. Similar to Johnson's approach but he has a lot more power than CJ.

[zitothebrave]

I guess you are comparing his swing with Utley's because of the abbreviated finish. I don't think that really affects power. Justin has an abbreviated finish as well. Remember when you said Freeman's swing would limit his off-field power? Still going with that?

Pitch selection is one of the factors that is keeping FF's homer totals down. He puts a lot of balls in play that he shouldn't even swing at, though he is still able to barrell quite a few up and find a hole. I don't think he is a 40 homer guy either, but his swing and power is just fine.

I never said Freeman's swing would limit his opposite field power. I just said he didn't have exceptional opposite field power and that is true. He only has 3 homers this year in the left most third of the field, none to left most sixth. True he has slightly more opposite power than say McCann, but he's not some kind of Jeter weirdo who hits like over half his homer to opposite field. Freeman is a gap hitter.

As far as Freeman and Utley goes watch the 2, they've got very similar swings overall.

[AUTiger7222]

I never said Freeman's swing would limit his opposite field power. I just said he didn't have exceptional opposite field power and that is true. He only has 3 homers this year in the left most third of the field, none to left most sixth. True he has slightly more opposite power than say McCann, but he's not some kind of Jeter weirdo who hits like over half his homer to opposite field. Freeman is a gap hitter.

As far as Freeman and Utley goes watch the 2, they've got very similar swings overall.

Jeter has always benefited from Yankee Stadium. If he played his home games at Turner Field all those years he would have nearly as many RF-CF homeruns because it's 390 to the RF-CF gap at Turner Field.

As for Freeman he could easily hit 35 homeruns a year if he pulled the ball more. But Freeman has said many, many times that his natural approach to hitting is to hit that LF-CF gap. I personally would change anything about his approach in that regard. He's had so many balls that are 5 feet or less to LF-CF from being homeruns.

[zitothebrave]

Jeter has always benefited from Yankee Stadium. If he played his home games at Turner Field all those years he would have nearly as many RF-CF homeruns because it's 390 to the RF-CF gap at Turner Field.

As for Freeman he could easily hit 35 homeruns a year if he pulled the ball more. But Freeman has said many, many times that his natural approach to hitting is to hit that LF-CF gap. I personally would change anything about his approach in that regard. He's had so many balls that are 5 feet or less to LF-CF from being homeruns.

Hit trackign disagrees

he goes more with right center than left center.

[Orphan Black]

Freddie has decent opposite field power.

Sometimes I wonder if some of us actually watch games or if they just look at numbers, tables and figures.

I figure Freddie will settle in at around .850 OPS, and I still say he has at least 5 seasons where he gets to .900. I also believe he wins a batting title in his career.

[gilesfan]

Freeman has 3 homers to left, 3 to center, 8 to right. He has decent pop all over the field.

[thethe]

Braves need to lock this guy up. He will be one of the best hitters in baseball IMO. Guy just gets better.

[zitothebrave]

Braves need to lock this guy up. He will be one of the best hitters in baseball IMO. Guy just gets better.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thethe

[thethe]

Ladies and Gentlemen, thethe

He already is a top 15-20 hitter at 23. Of course because you don't want to be wrong you think this will be his best year ever.

[jpx7]

Braves need to lock this guy up. He will be one of the best hitters in baseball IMO. Guy just gets better.

This counts as your KISS OF DEATH of the day.

[thethe]

This counts as your KISS OF DEATH of the day.

Duly noted!

[gilesfan]

On the thethe scale of Francoeur (10) to Heyward (1), this is extremely lame.. 2-3ish tops. Freeman is top 20 this year at age 23. He could easily stay in that place over the next few years.

I still don't get why some posters are so pessimistic on Freeman.

[zitothebrave]

He already is a top 15-20 hitter at 23. Of course because you don't want to be wrong you think this will be his best year ever.

Never said it would be his best year ever, the gulf between him and guys like Miggy, Trout and Davis is quite large.

[thethe]

Never said it would be his best year ever, the gulf between him and guys like Miggy, Trout and Davis is quite large.

Did I ever say he would be the BEST hitter in the game?

[zitothebrave]

Did I ever say he would be the BEST hitter in the game?

To me one of the best means like top 5. Maybe you have different standards than myself

[thethe]

On the thethe scale of Francoeur (10) to Heyward (1), this is extremely lame.. 2-3ish tops. Freeman is top 20 this year at age 23. He could easily stay in that place over the next few years.

I still don't get why some posters are so pessimistic on Freeman.

Nice...not sure whether to thank you for agreeing or get pissed because of how you are defending me.

Either way, I agree. I do not understand why people do not see what is happening. Freeman is an awesome hitter. Already top 15-20 in the league at his age.

[thethe]

To me one of the best means like top 5. Maybe you have different standards than myself

There are approximately 330 everyday players in baseball. If you are top 10 you are in the 97 percentile. If you are in the top 20 you are in the 94 percentile. When you are better than 94% of the hitters in baseball that means you are one of the best.

[Orphan Black]

Wow...I didn't realize that Freddie was 7th in all of baseball in OBP.

[gilesfan]

Nice...not sure whether to thank you for agreeing or get pissed because of how you are defending me.

Either way, I agree. I do not understand why people do not see what is happening. Freeman is an awesome hitter. Already top 15-20 in the league at his age.

Scale of 10-1

Francoeur
Sanchez
Brooklyn
Maynor
Reggie jackson
Gattis
Teheran
Kaep
Westbrook
Heyward

[zitothebrave]

There are approximately 330 everyday players in baseball. If you are top 10 you are in the 97 percentile. If you are in the top 20 you are in the 94 percentile. When you are better than 94% of the hitters in baseball that means you are one of the best.

Where did you pull those numbers? There are 150 qualified bats in baseball this year. Your definition of everyday is looser than a wizard's sleeve.

[gilesfan]

Where did you pull those numbers? There are 150 qualified bats in baseball this year. Your definition of everyday is looser than a wizard's sleeve.

Logic fail