House That Hank Built
Fansided

Is this the year that Atlanta Braves 1B Freddie Freeman finally “Breaks out”?

By Kyle Walter

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 07: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game Three of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park on October 7, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 07: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game Three of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park on October 7, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Atlanta Braves
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 1: Josh Donnaldson #27 of the Cleveland Indians joins Carlos Carrrasco #59 on the bench and waves to the Tampa Bay Rays bench during the fifth inning at Progressive Field on September 1, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. Donaldson is the Indians latest trade coming from the Toronto Blue Jays. (Photo by Jason Milller/Getty Images) /

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.

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?

Home/Braves News