Atlanta Braves Freddie Freeman could be on verge of history.
As the 2021 season nears the stretch run, things keep looking up for the Atlanta Braves.
Despite all the injuries, turmoil, and crazy things that have all happened to the Atlanta Braves, here we are in the middle of August sitting in first place.
No one should be more praised for that more so than Freddie Freeman though.
The reigning NL MVP is up to his old tricks that everyone associated with the Atlanta Braves have come to expect… and really been taking for granted more so than we should.
Yes, it is that time of the year where award races come to fruition almost as much as the division races.
That’s right, I am going to make the case for Freddie Freeman to become the favorite for the 2021 NL MVP award, which obviously would be his second straight MVP award.
- The last player to win the award in consecutive years was Miguel Cabrera when he did it in 2012 and 2013.
- The last National League player to do it was Albert Pujols when he did it in 2008 and 2009.
It’s already a success when you consider where Freeman was sitting back around the middle of May when people were quietly wondering if something was wrong and/or if the contract situation between him and the Atlanta Braves was weighing on his mind.
Yes, Freddie was hitting in the low .200’s but we all knew it was only a matter of time before he regained his form and became possibly the best pure hitter in the game at the moment.
The simple fact is Freddie was still stroking the ball and was just for the most part unlucky. Now those balls are finding holes and Freeman almost literally cannot miss at the moment.
If Freddie were to achieve this remarkable feat, he would be only the second career Atlanta Braves player to achieve it ever after Dale Murphy achieved it in 1982 and 1983.
Think about this: only 13 players in the history of the game have ever won back-to-back MVP awards. Yet, here we are with Freddie Freeman having a legit chance at it.
Most current odds sites rank Braves’ 1st Freeman 5th in the MVP race
However, it is an extremely close race and there is no clear front runner at the moment.
After all, the current odds leader, Fernando Tatis has been battling a recurring shoulder injury and early season favorite Jacob deGrom is struggling to return to action at all. That has opened the door for others.
It is very probable — and in fact likely — that the NL MVP race is going to come down to the final few weeks and perhaps whatever player takes his team over the hump will get the award. That could bode well for Freddie as his biggest challenger might be Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper.
For better or worse, whatever team wins the NL East may also give their star player a boost in the MVP voting.
For some, the MVP award is given out to the player with the gaudiest numbers and while I get that, the award is designated for the most valuable player. In my interpretation, that means the player who put his team on his shoulders the most and lifted them to a good season and to a place they undoubtedly would not be without said player.
That is the exact thing that has happened with Freddie Freeman this current season. Where would the Atlanta Braves be without his services over the summer months? I can answer that for you….they would already have tee times lined up in Florida throughout October.
Sure, Max Muncy will get votes and rightfully so, but truth be told, I am not even sure he is the Dodgers team MVP, much less that of the entire league.
I got some numbers for you.
July was a tough month for the Braves all around with the loss of Acuna for the rest of the season, and the downfall of Ozuna to start the month of June. Yet, July was when Freddie Freeman put the team on his shoulders.
Freddie’s OBP in July was an insane .470. Almost half the time he came up to bat, he reached base… somehow, someway!!
And of course, some walks were sprinkled in there but he did damage with the bat too, as his batting average in July was .375!
And perhaps my favorite number(s) of them all is that through the entire month he walked 16 times compared to only striking out 13 times. The man was on fire and a machine in the hot month of July in the Atlanta sun.
He has not been a slouch so far in August either as the reinforcements the Atlanta Braves got him at the deadline are chipping in and finally the entire team seems to be clicking on all cylinders and making a run at it.
A couple more lingering questions though:
- Does this affect Freddie’s upcoming pending free agency in any way? The answer to that is a resounding no. The Braves and Freddie already know what path a contract leads too and this should not have changed anything. I still expect a deal to be completed very shortly after the season ends in late October hopefully.
- If Freddie were to bounce back and win the NL MVP award, does that guarantee his Hall of Fame candidacy? To be frank, I think he is on a Hall of Fame track with or without the award this season. Although obviously winning it would not hurt his chances.
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The bottom line is I am sure if you were to ask Freddie if he wants the MVP award or the World Series title, he would take the latter. Well, I say why not go and get both?