In a Braves season full of surprises, a healthy Freddie Freeman starting at first base for the National League All-Star team is anything but.
And as Freeman defined it, these Braves have drawn eyes. Spending most of the season in first place will do that for you.
“We forced our team onto the national stage,” Freeman said. “Obviously no one picked us this year, but we’ve played ourselves right into that, and national media and the fans took notice. That’s why they voted for us. Those guys in this clubhouse deserved it.”
Freeman, second baseman Ozzie Albies, outfielder Nick Markakis and starter Mike Foltynewicz will represent the Braves in Washington next week.
The four All-Stars are the franchise’s most since 2012, when Chipper Jones, Craig Kimbrel, Dan Uggla and Michael Bourn qualified for the midsummer classic.
With every calendar turn, the Braves proved more than a feel-good story. The skeptics waited for the wheels to fall off, but every shaky moment was responded with stability.
That’s made for a 50-39 record entering Tuesday. The Braves are one of five NL teams with 50 wins, joining the Phillies, Brewers, Cubs, and Diamondbacks.
They’re tied atop the NL East with the Phillies, setting up a competitive stretch run between two of MLB’s youngest, most exciting teams.
Helping the case has been the floundering Nationals. Once considered division favorites, Murphy’s Law struck, and Washington is mired in mediocrity (45-45) near the halfway point.
If the Braves are going to complete their underdog story, Freeman would be a chief reason why.
Awakening from a brief slump, Freeman went 7-for-15 against the Brewers. He hit .289 (11-for-38) across a 10-game road trip.
Freeman is among the league leaders with a .406 on-base percentage (second), 108 hits (tied-third), a .948 OPS (fourth), 43 extra-base hits (tied-fourth) and a .315 batting average (sixth).
Those numbers won’t just put Freeman in his third All-Star game; they have him firmly in the MVP discussion.
“I’m just happy to be healthy,” Freeman said. “Obviously the last couple years it hasn’t gone my way, health-wise. But it’s definitely going to be fun to go out with the guys and start. It’s going to be a pretty cool experience.”
Freeman and his three All-Star teammates won’t get much of a break. They have workouts Monday before the All-Star game Tuesday. They’ll have two off days before jumping back into games, coincidentally in Washington on June 20.
The break might not be coming at the worst time. The Braves started 4-0 on their latest road trip, sweeping St. Louis and taking the first game against the Yankees. They faltered afterward in route to a 5-5 trip.
“You go 4-0, you want more,” Freeman said. “To end at 5-5, it’s a salty taste in your mouth. But we’re still in first place. We’ve played tough teams and we have a chance to play well going into the All-Star break and we need to do that.”
And as long as the Braves tread water in the next five games, they’ll be in or near playoff position at the break. That might be better than Freeman – or about anyone – could’ve expected.
