One of the things the Atlanta Braves will miss as Chipper Jones gets ready to retire is his production in the third slot of the batting order. Although he is not a switch-hitter, Atlanta Braves first baseman, Freddie Freeman looks fit for the role.
It is too early to tell if Freeman will become the hitter Chipper became in his career in the Majors, but so far, after his first full season as a starter, Freeman hit .282 with 21 homeruns and 76 RBI. In Chipper's first full season he hit 23 homers, 86 RBI with a .265 batting average. Not too far off production wise.
The biggest difference in their first full seasons was that Jones helped his Braves win a championshipn in 1995. Freeman grounded out into a season ending double play for the Braves in game 162 last season.
Sophomore slump? What is that? Freeman continues to produce when in the lineup. As of late, he had missed five of the last seven Brave games. Last night, however, Freeman returned with a bang.
He was reinstated into the Braves lineup after getting custom made Oakley glasses that help him see better.
Freeman proved to be alright when he hit a centerfield shot that cleared the fences. The Braves went on to defeat the world champion St. Louis Cardinals 10-7.
The Braves have felt Freeman's bat greatly when he is not in the lineup and they were horrible. They had lost eight in a row snapping the streak on Tuesday night. They also scored 10 runs for the first time since scoring 13 against the Rockies in Colorado.
So far this season Freddie Freeman has hit .257 with eight homeruns and 35 RBI. He has been a great weapon for the Braves with two outs. He is hitting .340 and has hit three homeruns driving in 14 runs.
If there is one thing Brave fans can expect is for the team to continue developing great players in their farm system. Jason Heyward was considered a phenom, but has not been able to get it together in the last two seasons after exploding in the MLB scene in 2010.
The Atlanta Braves do not have to search outside their organization as long as Freeman continues hitting.