House That Hank Built
Fansided

Atlanta Braves: Why the shift can’t stop Freddie Freeman

By Seth Carter

PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 06: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 6, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 06: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 6, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
braves
Braves’ Freddie Freeman (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Most shifted

The Atlanta Braves’ had two players in the top 10 in 2019. Freddie Freeman was number one. So beyond Freeman, here are some of the most shifted against players from last season. In case you are wondering, Ozzie Albies came in at eighth on the most-shifted list.

  1. Cody Bellinger – Bellinger had a .289 BABIP with no shift in 2019, he posted a .288 wOBA and a 79 wRC+. Against the shift, he posted a BABIP of .303, a .297 wOBA and an 84 wRC+. Note: His wRC+ against the shift in 2018 was 114, and 105 the year before. Better numbers against the shift.
  2. Eddie Rosario – Rosario only had 84 plate appearances in which he put the ball in play with no shift last season. He had a BABIP of .226 with a wRC+ of 17, he had some unfortunate luck against a small sample size last season. For his career, he has a wRC+ of 94 against no shift. Last year against the shift he had a BABIP of .284, and a wRC+ of 67. His wOBA against the shift was .275. Better numbers against the shift.
  3. Anthony Rizzo– Rizzo’s BABIP against the shift was .309 with a wRC+ of 82. Without the shift, he had a BABIP of .275 with a career BABIP of .287. Last season he only posted a wRC+ of 66 with no shift, which was lower than his shift numbers.
  4. Brandon Belt – posted a .355 BABIP with a 103 wRC+ against the shift. Better against the shift.
  5. Charlie Blackmon posted a .485 SLG (NOT INCLUDING HOMERS) with a wRC+ of 103 against the shift. His BABIP was .355 against the shift while only .262 with no shift. His wRC+ was 56 points lower with now shift last season.

I really expected those players to be worse against the shift since they were the most shifted against.

Freddie Freeman was the most shifted against player (as far as plate appearances that did not result in HRs, Ks, or BBs) in 2019, let’s see how he has fared against the shift throughout his career in the next slide.

Home/Braves News