Freddie Freeman’s 300th double put him in rare company as the sixth player in Braves history to achieve such. But as excellent as Freeman is every night, his behind-the-scenes impact on the Braves might exceed it.
Freeman, now 29 years old, assumed the clubhouse-leader role upon Chipper Jones’ retirement after the 2012 season. It wasn’t a position he initially wanted or embraced, but he grew into becoming the lead representative of the Braves.
In 2019, Freeman is one of the better all-around players in the game. He’s elite at the plate, an on-base machine with glorified pop, and his overdue defensive acknowledgement came last season when he won a Gold Glove for his work at first base.
“It’s been pretty cool to see where he started, when he first came up, where he’s at now,” manager Brian Snitker said. “The growth, the maturity. Everyone saw this. I remember watching him as a young guy take (batting practice) and thinking he isn’t even strong yet. Wait until he gets his man strength. He was an impressive guy the first time anyone laid eyes on him. It’s been neat watching him mature and grow into an adult, person, father, husband, the whole thing.”
Freeman is more than team’s best player or even leader; he’s an ambassador of Braves baseball. A California native, the Braves organization is the only one he’s known in his professional baseball career. Like Jones, he didn’t make overly lucrative contract demands to re-sign. He doesn’t plan to when his next contract comes due after 2021, either.
Often considered underrated, Freeman doesn’t pop off the screen like Phillies star Bryce Harper or the duo of Yankees sluggers, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. He’s soft-spoken and, at least from how he’s carried himself as a star professional athlete, isn’t interested in the national headlines. His focus – you guessed it – is on winning. And winning in Atlanta.
“Freddie is one of the best guys in the league on and off the field,” said Harper, who’s one of Freeman’s closest friends in the game. “Good guy, great player. Can’t really say too much about him. He’s an awesome person. I look forward to getting to first base a bit to talk to him every day (laughs). He’s a great player and person, and I wish him the best. I like playing against him and watching him from afar as well.”
Braves rookie phenom Austin Riley joked he gets jealous watching how effortlessly Freeman plays the game. The shift is ineffective against Freeman, one of the league’s smartest hitters who places the ball where he chooses.
But that’s what evaluators and fans see. Freeman’s impact extends beyond the diamond and into the clubhouse, where he’s the spokesman for the 25-man roster. Freeman has the respect of every player in the room, however many come and go, not only for his skills, but in how he handles himself.
“He’s the guy,” Snitker said. “He’s the guy I go to. He’s asserted himself and has matured into that and welcomed it. He’s got instant credibility in how he carries himself, how he plays the game, how he shows up every day to play. Just doing it naturally. Couldn’t have a better person or player in the clubhouse to have that, too.”
And so when Freeman recorded his 300th double during Tuesday’s 12-5 win over the Pirates, he had plenty reason to be proud. He joined the company of Hank Aaron, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Eddie Mathews and Dale Murphy.
That’s flattering for Freeman, who showed a little more emotion than usual when asked about the milestone postgame. It was meaningful to him, he acknowledged, because he achieved it in a victory.
“I’m kind of speechless,” Freeman said. “You don’t play this game for those kind of things, but when you sit back and look at it, it just means I’ve been here a while and had some success. It’s pretty cool. It really is.
“I’m not one to talk about this stuff. You’re making me uneasy talking about this, but today was pretty cool. Usually I do some stuff like this and we lose, it feels like. It’s nice to finally get a win when something cool like this happens.”
