House That Hank Built
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Making the case for (or against) potential Atlanta Braves All-Stars

By Josh Mathews

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 14: Brian McCann #16 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a walk-off single to score two runs to give the Braves a 9-8 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at SunTrust Park on June 14, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 14: Brian McCann #16 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a walk-off single to score two runs to give the Braves a 9-8 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at SunTrust Park on June 14, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 28: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Colorado Rockies at SunTrust Park on April 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 28: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Colorado Rockies at SunTrust Park on April 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) /

First base: Freddie Freeman

Freddie is having an outstanding year, there’s no doubt of that. As of June 15, he is batting .311 with 19 home runs and 51 runs batted in. He’s without a doubt, a team and clubhouse leader for the Atlanta Braves.

The issue? The NL’s top vote-getter from 2018 has some stiff competition this year.

While Anthony Rizzo has a worse stat line than Freeman by a small margin (.280 avg, 18 HR, 49 RBI) his biggest asset is that he is from perhaps the most baseball crazy city with the most baseball crazy fans, Chicago.

Cubs fans are voracious when it comes to All-Star voting, and this year is no exception, with a player at every position besides second base ranking in the top five of the voting.

Pittsburgh’s Josh Bell has had the breakout season that some envisioned when he was a prospect coming up the chain. Statistically, he beats Freeman with a .321 average, 19 home runs and a league-leading 65 RBI.

Does Freddie Freeman deserve to start? The fans have started to swing the vote in his favor as he dropped Anthony Rizzo into second place and is now 100,000 votes behind Bell.  Since MLB’s June 11th update, Freeman has gained about 100,000 votes in the standings.

Without Freddie, the Braves simply wouldn’t be in first place.  Maybe the fans should return the favor.

Determination: Freddie is an All-Star, and could go toe-to-toe with Josh Bell and Anthony Rizzo in the voting once the final three are named. He’ll earn the start and has the credentials to do so if Braves Country backs him. Josh Bell could be the only Pirates All-Star. 

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