In 2007 the Atlanta Braves made the most of the first two rounds of the draft. With their first round pick the Braves were able to secure OF Jason Heyward, who has quickly become the favorite for this year's Rookie of the Year honors. With their second round pick in that draft the Braves selected 1B Freddie Freeman out of El Modena High School in Orange, CA. Freeman and Heyward have essentially been joined at the hip since being drafted. The two players have made every organizational leap together until Freeman was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett at the end of Spring Training and Heyward earned the starting right field spot with Atlanta. However, the close proximity of Atlanta to Gwinnett has allowed the two to remain roommates this season.
Freeman is considered one of the top minor league prospects in the Braves organization and probably the next guy to make the jump from Triple-A to everyday starter for the big league club. Freeman was selected as a first baseman, but was a highly regarded pitching prospect for many major league teams. Had he not gone to the Braves with the 78th overall pick, then it is probable that Freeman would have been drafted as a pitcher. Thus, he has above average arm strength for a first baseman.
Freeman is 6 ft. 5 in. and weighs in at 225. His length and stature probably keep him from being a candidate to move to the hot corner if he were to ever need to find a spot to play in order to get his bat into the Braves lineup. His arm strength and his fielding ability at first could be useful in left field if the Braves were to need a long term option in that position, which has become a platoon position for the Braves since Chipper Jones moved back to third base a few years back. Freeman does well keeping the ball in front of him and is able to handle just about any hop that comes his way. In several chances this afternoon against the Durham Bulls, Freeman managed to make a few solid defensive plays.
Freeman spent Spring Training 2010 with the Braves in Orlando and managed some respectable numbers. He went 14-42 (.333 BA) with 3 doubles and 7 RBIs. His walk to strikeout ratio (1-4) is a bit concerning, but that is to be expected from young power hitters. Currently Freeman is hitting .254 (18-71) with Gwinnett with 4 HRs (including one as I wrote this) and 12 RBIs. His BB/SO is still pretty high (3 walks to 16 strikeouts) this season. This will improve with time, experience and at bats. That ratio could be largely attributed to his sometimes long swing which when it pops up causes Freeman to be a little late on some pitches. When it does get long he tends to weakly foul some balls off to the third base side. He is not a feast or famine type hitter, despite the number of strikeouts early this year. His 10 singles, 4 doubles, 1 triple and 4 home runs have been pretty well scattered across the field. His current batting average is on the rise after somewhat of a slow start in his new surroundings.
When will this guy make his Major League debut? I would think it would be sooner, rather than later. The Atlanta Braves are struggling at the plate right now and are getting very little production from Troy Glaus at first base. Glaus is hitting .186 with 2 HRs and 8 RBIs. His 17 strikeouts have come in some crucial situations. He has also become a double-play liability, which does not bode well for a lineup that is currently only getting production from the guys hitting directly in front of Glaus. In his defense, Glaus did not play last year and is still getting back into the swing of things. However, he seems to have had enough time to get going. I would expect Bobby Cox to give the veteran first baseman another month or so before pulling any trigger. Eric Hinske has spent some platoon time at first base, but he is not the long term option. If Glaus is taken out of the lineup for any amount of time, traded or just placed on waivers, then expect Hinske to take over as the starting first baseman. You may even see Omar Infante as the starting second baseman and Martin Prado move over to first. Unless the season gets out of hand, and the Braves find themselves out of playoff contention, then I wouldn't expect to see Freeman on the 25-man roster prior to September call ups. My projection is that he will be the starting first baseman for the Braves on Opening Day 2011.
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