Freeman seeing fewer strikes, doing less 1st-pitch damage

Freddie Freeman has always taken pride in his simple and effective approach to hitting: See the pitch he wants, put his front foot down and swing. No waiting around, no taking a strike or two while waiting for a specific pitch. See it, hit it.

That was reflected in first-pitch stats during Freeman’s first three seasons in the major leagues, when he ranked second among National League hitters each year in highest percentage of swings at first pitches, increasing from 41.4 percent as a rookie in 2011, to 45.5 in 2012, to 46.4 percent in 2013.

And he wasn’t just swinging at more first pitches than almost anyone, he was getting more hits on those swings than almost anyone, too. When he put the first pitch in play, Freeman ranked fifth in the NL with a .455 average last season, fifth with a .463 average in 2012, and hit .425 in those situations as a rookie in 2011.

Which brings us to this season, when Freeman has endured an unchacteristically long slump since getting off to a fast start through mid-April. He’s swinging at his first percentage of first pitched since his rookie season and hitting for a career-low average (.286) when putting the first pitch in play.

It’s likely no coincidence that Freeman is also seeing fewer strikes than ever before. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Freeman had seen the third-lowest percentage of strikes (40.1) before Sunday, behind the Giants’ Pablo Sandoval (36.9) and the Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton (39.1) and just ahead of Red Sox slugger David Ortiz (40.2).

Coming off an All-Star season and top-five MVP finish in 2013, when Freeman hit .319 with 23 homers, 109 RBIs and a .396 OBP and .501 slugging percentage, opposing teams have keyed on him, many teams determining that somebody else is going to have to beat them among the Braves, because they’re going to give Freeman very few pitches to hit — and none if they can avoid it with games on the line.

He was 12-for-42 with one homer on first-pitch swings put in play before Monday. Freeman had at least five first-pitch homers in each of his first three seasons in the majors.