Is this the year that Atlanta Braves 1B Freddie Freeman finally “Breaks out”?
After what was a legit MVP-caliber season, could Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman still have more to come?!
With a new lineup around him, Atlanta Braves fans could see even more from Freddie Freeman in 2019.
What???
Some people will look at this title and think that I’m crazy. However, allow me to explain my point of view. I like Nick Markakis, I really do. However, I doubt that many people would argue that he was an amazing 4-hole hitter. In an ideal situation, he would be a 5 or 6 hole kind of hitter. Freddie Freeman has only had a true protective hitter one time since Chipper Jones.
Most Braves fans remember Freeman’s insanely hot stretch in 2016 that had many talking him up as a potential MVP candidate. That stretch occurred after the Braves traded for Matt Kemp. You can say what you want about his defense and level of fitness, but his power out of the 4th spot cannot be disputed. With Kemp behind him, Freeman was unleashed. He was playing at the same scorching pace in early 2017, when he was hit on the wrist by a pitch from Blue Jays hurler Aaron Loup. That pitch put Freeman on the shelf for a few months, and when he came back his power just wasn’t the same.
Having the threat of Kemp behind Freeman kept pitchers on edge. Markakis is a good hitter, but he just doesn’t possess the same threat that Kemp did. This brings me into the catalyst of this article, a guy Alex Anthoupolous knows very well from his Toronto days.
Bringer of Rain
Josh Donaldson has been one of the best players in baseball since his first full season in 2013. In the span of 2013-2017, he averaged 33 home runs and 98 RBI. Anthoupolous made the bold move of bringing back his former star from Toronto on a 1 year, 23 Million dollar pact. Donaldson knew all too well that he wasn’t going to get the multi-year mega deal most would expect for a player of his caliber. Having played only 52 games in 2018, 2019 is the prove it or lose it year for Donaldson. Having said that, how does this tie into the main topic of this article?
Remember when I said that Freeman has lacked a true protective hitter for a long time? Well, Donaldson is the answer to that problem. When you have a chance to add a former AL MVP who’s had 172 homers since 2013, you take it. With a true base clearing threat like Donaldson behind Freeman, I think 2019 will be his best season yet. Just for fun, here’s video of one of Donaldson’s many home runs.
Whip out the umbrellas! ☔️
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) September 29, 2018
The @bringerofrain20 just brought some rain! Josh Donaldson blasts a grand slam home run and the @Indians lead is 10-0. #RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/lFTKx05WnH
Looking at the 2016 Blue Jays lineup, we can see how a player on the tail end of their career can benefit from having one or two stars flanking him in the lineup. For most of the year, the teams 2-4 were as follows: Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnation. Donaldson had his second best season that year, mashing 37 home runs with 106 walks. Given his well-earned reputation after his 2015 MVP season, his walk rate of 15.1% was nearly double the usual league average of 8.5%. Bautista, while clearly in decline, still managed to hit 22 home runs that year. If pitchers had the choice of pitching to Donaldson, Bautista, or the imposing Encarnation, odds are Bautista would get the choicest pitches.
Where does this leave us for 2019?
The X factor
The addition of Donaldson (Along with a full year of Ronald Acuña Jr.) will undoubtedly leave the Braves with a better lineup then they had last season.
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Let’s say that a given team decides that they really don’t want to pitch to Acuña. So, he gets walked twice out of the leadoff spot. Let’s also assume that said team allows a base hit to
Ozzie Albies, batting second, leading to runners on first and third.
Now the pitcher is faced with quite a dilemma. Do you pitch to Freddie Freeman or Josh Donaldson? If that team had instead decided that it wanted to avoid Freeman, the same scenario could easily occur. Then, if the team pitched too carefully to him, that leaves Donaldson up with the bases loaded and nobody out.
I may be getting a little long-winded here, but my point is Donaldson adds another dimension to the lineup, which only benefits Freeman. Considering how well Freeman did under Kemp’s protection from mid-2016-2017, I think that the addition of Donaldson could lead to his biggest year yet. If the Braves are firmly in the pennant race all season long, which is expected, then he could have a legitimate shot at getting the first MVP award of his outstanding career.
#MVFREE pic.twitter.com/rvsJYvIslj
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) October 8, 2018
Add in Johan Camargo and the catching combination of Brian McCann and Tyler Flowers, and the top six in the lineup should be such that plenty of runs are scored, with Freddie in the center of it all.
Next. Frenchy in the booth. dark
Whether the protection or the depth of the lineup, the offense for the Atlanta Braves should be much improved in 2019, and Freddie Freeman should be the beneficiary.