Today we continue to look back at the Atlanta Braves’ 2016 season position-by-position.
Previous Posts:
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The Atlanta Braves of 2014-2016 have been full of struggling youngsters and veteran filler. They have endeavored to rebuild the correct way and as a result, the on-field product at the Major League level has suffered. For a team with so many holes and question marks across the diamond, they do have one position where management can breathe easy – first base.*
*During 2016, three different players technically spent time at first for the team. However, the contributions of Brandon Snyder (4.0 innings) and Blake Lalli (14.0 innings) are essentially insignificant. Back-ups will be included where appropriate but for first base, we’re just going to profile the main attraction.
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Freddie Freeman
2016 Stats: 693 PA, .302/.400/.569, 34 HR, 102 R, 91 RBI, 152 wRC+, 6.1 fWAR
Freeman made his debut late in 2010 then took over starting first base duties in 2011. After two decent but unspectacular seasons to begin his career, he took off in 2013 and hasn’t looked back.
Given the overall state of the team, you’re forgiven if you missed just how fantastic Freeman was in 2016. He had already established himself one of the better young players in the game but reached new heights this season.
Some have pointed to a change in the plane of his swing. Freeman has always had an ability to drive the ball hard. However, given his swing, those usually went for doubles or hard outs. In 2016, he unlocked more of his power potential by altering his swing to give the ball a better launch angle. As a result, those hard hit balls that used to end up in the gap are now clearing the fences.
His 34 homeruns were 11 more than his previous career high, he beat his previous high in slugging percentage by a whopping 68 points, and his .267 isolated slugging percentage was by far the best of his career. That figure ranked eighth in all of baseball and third in the National League. Prior to 2016, he had never topped the .200 ISO mark. He was also one of just three qualified hitters to record a .300/.400/.500 slash line (along with Mike Trout and Joey Votto).
This season was an impressive one for Freeman’s trophy case. In addition to winning NL Player of the Week three times, he also took home his first career NL Player of the Month award. Unfortunately, the bulk of his otherworldly performance came after the All-Star break so he was not selected for the Midsummer Classic; Julio Teheran was the team’s only representative. Also, though he won’t win the award this year, Freeman does appear likely to earn his second career top-5 finish in MVP voting (finished fifth in 2013). For what it’s worth, he also recorded a 30-game hit streak and became a father but (as far as I know) he won’t receive any hardware for those two accomplishments.
Some may point to his good luck with batting average on balls in play (.370 in 2016 compared to a career average of .341) or his increased strikeout rate (24.7 percent in 2016 compared to a career average of 21.5 percent) as indicators that he will regress next season. While it’s true that 2016 may end up being Freeman’s peak, there’s still reason to believe he can remain elite going forward.
Freeman spent most of his time as a prospect playing the Robin to Jason Heyward’s Batman. However, at least after this season, it appears that he has emerged as the better player. He was the only position player to survive the team’s extensive fire sale and has more than validated that decision with his strong play. As the longest tenured player on the team, Freeman will be tasked with the leading the club as they begin life at SunTrust Park and begin their ascent after bottoming out last year.
Scott Ferris covers the Braves as a Staff Writer for Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter @ScottHFerris
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