Freeman’s play making his case for Cooperstown

The Atlanta Braves were at a crossroads in 2014. They had lost in the National League Division Series the previous season and appeared to be a cut below the crop of World Series contenders. A rebuild was on the horizon, and the team decided it would only keep one of its two homegrown star hitters.

Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward had come up through the minor leagues together after being drafted in 2007; Heyward in the first round, Freeman, the second. Heyward hit a home run in his first career MLB at-bat, and finished second in the 2010 rookie voting to Buster Posey. Freeman went 0for-3 in his first career game and he finished second in the 2011 rookie voting to teammate Craig Kimbrel, who garnered every first-place vote.

Most Braves fans wanted the team to retain Heyward, an Atlanta-area product and a former five-tool prospect. But the Braves signed Freeman to a franchise record eight-year, $135-million (U.S.) contract before the 2014 season and, when that campaign ended with a 79– 83 record, Heyward was traded to the Cardinals.

Seven years later, it’s clear the Braves chose the right hitter to keep around. Freeman has become Chipper Jones’s true heir as the face of the franchise, leading Atlanta through the depths of three straight 90-loss seasons and into three straight playoff appearances, earning three consecutive starts at first base for the NL all-star team and last year becoming the first Brave since Jones (1999) to be named MVP. On Wednesday, he became the first Braves player since they moved to Atlanta to hit for the cycle for the second time in his career.

And with the Braves suddenly atop the NL East once again and Freeman in the mix to repeat as MVP in a crowded race, it seems like as good of a jumping point as any to assess the 31-year-old’s burgeoning Hall of Fame case. Freeman was in the discussion for the MVP award in 2019, too, before two bone spurs and three fragments in his elbow contributed to a September swoon that knocked him out of the race. He underwent surgery during that offseason and has been on a career-defining tear ever since.

He started this season slowly, with a .195/.326/.407 slash line in his first 31 games. He’s now at .301/.399/.520, leads the NL in runs (90), ranks second in total bases (233) and win probability added (3.3), and third in hits (135) and on-base percentage (.399). At a time when first basemen have never been less proficient at the plate, Freeman has improved his plate discipline and maintained his ability to hit for average while also ramping up his power. Dating back to 2016, 10 first baseman have batted .300. None have done it more than twice other than Freeman, who has done it four times and is on pace to do it again this year.

It’s down to Freeman or Cincinnati’s Joey Votto for the title of best first baseman of the millennial generation, with Votto’s MVP win coming in 2010 and Freeman’s in 2020. (Miguel Cabrera’s best years came at third base.) Votto turns 38 on Sept. 10, while Freeman turns 32 two days later.

A panel of four MLB.com voters unanimously deemed Votto a future Hall of Famer this week; Freeman is on that same trajectory.

The deciding factor could be if Freeman wins another MVP. Of the 31 men who have won multiple MVPs, only two retired players who haven’t been connected to PEDs aren’t in the Hall of Fame: Roger Maris, who retired after his age-33 season, and Dale Murphy.