We Need Freddie Freeman
by JKowalek on Dec 23, 2009 1:33 PM EST
65 comments
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution points out (via Twitter) that Troy Glaus will be the Braves' 11th opening day first baseman in 12 seasons if he signs in Atlanta, as expected.(MLBTR)
Freeman needs to solidify that spot next year for many....MANY, years to come. We need him to stay in AAA ball for a full healthy season and be as polished and ready as he has ever been when he comes up in 2011. They played it right with Hanson and I think they will with JayHey, and with the Glaus signing it looks to be all the same for Freeman.
I thought that was an interesting fact, and I knew it was bad, but not that bad.
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i think 2011 is a bit early
"Im a fullonrapist, I do men, women, autistic kids, children, the elderly." -Charlie Kelly
i don't
he played a month in AA ball last season. He’ll play most, if not all, of the 2010 season in AA or even AAA. Thats plenty of experience.
Assuming his wrist is healthy, I think 2011 is realistic.
I used to like Frank Wren...not anymore. I want John Schierholz back!
thats assuming he tears it up, i just dont see him breezing through like heyward has, he may have some set backs and have to work out some kinks…i just dont see us having a 21 year old starting for us unless he rakes and forces wren’s hand
"Im a fullonrapist, I do men, women, autistic kids, children, the elderly." -Charlie Kelly
I agree. I think 2011 is very realistic.
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It may be realistic, it may not.
Freeman will be in AA and/or AAA in 2010. How quickly he makes it depends on how he performs. Time will tell.
Eh...
still a TBD, considering it depends on how he does in AA/AAA. We expect well enough that he’ll be ready in 2011, but maybe waiting until 2012 so he can fill out his frame and be a power threat on arrival is not a bad idea.
I’m not sure he’s ever really going to be a huge power threat. He seems like a 20-25 homer guy, which is nice but not exactly a big time power threat. He’s gonna live off a high OBP, a ton of doubles with those homers, and a gold glove.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
We have to wait and see on that.
He has been playing in extreme pitcher’s parks and is still young. The power could be there. It might not, it might, but time will tell.
Morales has the same type of scouting report, IIRC.
"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."
by justincredubil02 on Dec 24, 2009 8:45 AM EST up reply actions
Except Kotchman has 10-15 homer power. Huge difference.
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Now, sure...
when he was coming up, and even during his big league career when the mono and other ailments were afflicting him, he appeared a 20-25 guy or similar to Freeman (#s are hard for me to compare though, since Kotchman missed so many games in the minors each year).
Alright, I think you got me. I looked through my old Prospect Handbooks from 02-05, where Kotchman was ranked #1 for the Angels 3 times, 2nd once, and they kept saying he was going to have above average power once he matured. They backed off a little and said 25 plus homer power by 05.. He also got the Mark Grace comparison.
Of course, Freeman has almost as many homers (32) in 3 years, as Kotchman had in 5 (34), so maybe he’s more likely to actually develop the power.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
different # of years...
but not much of a difference in at bats. Kotchman never had a season in the minors with as many games as Freeman played each of the last two seasons. So Kotchman had 1234 at bats in those 5 years (one for every 36 at bats), with Freeman having 1119 in his 3 (about one every 35 ABs). Kotchman missed a lot of time, so injuries may have made that look worse than it should have been, but then Freeman has yet to play a game at 20 and 902 of those Kotchman ABs came while 20-22.
Those are HR:AB obviously...
Kotchman was 1:36
Freeman so far is 1:35
But as mentioned, that’s been at a very young age.
how can you say what kind of player he is gonna be or determine that he will win a gold glove..you’ve made it clear you like the guy, and i’ve made it clear that i question his ability..but you can’t make those kind of bold predictions about any type of prospect no matter how you view them
"Im a fullonrapist, I do men, women, autistic kids, children, the elderly." -Charlie Kelly
Sure I can. That’s the whole point of projecting a guy. When someone looks at a player they don’t like and say he won’t make it out of AA, isn’t that a bold prediction? Nobody knows the future, Freeman could be a total bust, but I don’t think he will be and I think he’ll be good, thus my prediction.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
funny, you do the same
if you take a good prospect like Freeman and question his ability, you are making a bold prediction that he will be a bust. We don’t know for sure which it will be, but you are just as bold as cb (the other cb, lol). So attacking him for that makes you a hypocrite, no? As I recall you made a very “bold” prediction by ranking him very lowly compared to the consensus of our prospects.
essentially he’s Joey Votto lite.
Heyward,Hanson,and Shaffer r ready now!! Why do you think they havent signed the "right handed bat"?
by fatazfoot on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM EST
i'm with cb..
2011 is more than realistic. He was in AA last season, even if he plays out most of this season at AA and SOME AAA, he’ll definitely be with the big club at some point in 2011.
I would still like to see some of his doubles turn into homers at some point, the same with Heyward.
- I miss Spooneybarger :(
by Mighty Healthy on Dec 23, 2009 8:12 PM EST up reply actions
He is capable of coming up in 2011...
and I’d expect at least by September. But that doesn’t mean he gets there any early as the team has shown we aren’t afraid to let a prospect wait a little longer (Hanson, possibly Heyward). And Freeman could use the time to fine tune things and particularly to grow into his frame.
On the other hand...
…he could be up sooner. The Braves also have shown they aren’t afraid to bring kids up quickly, with varying success; the obvious examples are McCann and Franceour. I really think they’ll let Heyward and Freeman dictate when they come up; if their play deserves it, they’ll be up.
Freeman didn't have a wrist injury that I was aware of.
Just a bad bruise on his hand.
Overheard in press box, from local reporter: 'If this Moore kid was any good, they'd be up 31-0 right now.'
--Darin Gantt, on CAR@NE
by MichaelProcton on Dec 23, 2009 9:35 PM EST up reply actions
Agreed, Freeman and Heyward or bust for ATL.
Freeman has to be the guy but the Braves cannot rush him period like they have been known to do on occasion.
Freeman just has to be it; b/c if not the Braves are wasting their time bringing in Glaus for one season instead of trying to get A. Gonzo from the Padres.
Heyward is really the key to everything in ATL more so than Freeman but Freeman has to produce at the start of the 2011 season.
Go Braves.
by Holty_Panthers_Fan on Dec 23, 2009 3:30 PM EST reply actions
Either one could be the key.
As a mid-market team we need underpriced studs. The only way you get them is develop them. Right now we have a crop at various stages: McCann, Hanson, JJ, Escobar. The next crop needs to come up for us not to have shitty years. This crop is thin. It is almost exclusively Heyward and Freeman. We need both to be good or one to be great to sustain. If they both flop, we can’t just buy our way into contention, but we have enough money that if one goes all Pujols, we can get the supporting pieces we need.
This next crop will sustain us for a long time. What we need to find is a 3B.
Right now we have a very young core of Freeman (1B), Escobar (SS), Schafer (CF), Heyward (RF), McCann ©, then Hanson and Jurrjens.
What we need in the future is a 3B and we will be set for years to come. Between Adam Milligan and Cody Johnson LF should be fine and we have about 4 different guys that can play 2B. The trade of Javy was kind of a good thing because in the next few years you will see a slow transition into younger pitchers. I wouldnt be surprised if next year we are trying to trade Lowe again which would be easier with 2yrs left on his contract and if he has a good year.
We still have Minor, the Delgados, DeVall, Teheran, Vizcaino all waiting to pitch. Heck that right there is one serious rotation.
Basically i just disagree that our current crop is thin i just believe it is in various stages with different pieces of the long term roster joining every year. If we get that 3B we will be golden.
by drumzalicious on Dec 23, 2009 10:52 PM EST up reply actions
especially since you don’t want everybody at the same point in their career, otherwise you end up having to break the team up because everyone is either hitting arb or FA at the same time. Once the hitters start getting expensive, our starters outside of Jurrjens and Hanson will be dirt cheap
by McCann's the Man on Dec 23, 2009 11:59 PM EST up reply actions
The pitching is fine.
The hitting you project is everyone panning out. Projecting either Adam Miligan (talent) or Kody (contact) is dangerous. I wouldn’t count on either—if it works that’s gravy.
Seriously, the “Kody” thing is dumb.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
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It’s Cody, and I think he should be dealt now because i don’t see anything but power coming. However i think Milligan has a chance.
Why do you think that?
The kid’s gotten better as he’s advanced through the system?
Overheard in press box, from local reporter: 'If this Moore kid was any good, they'd be up 31-0 right now.'
--Darin Gantt, on CAR@NE
by MichaelProcton on Dec 24, 2009 1:08 AM EST up reply actions
I'm more than willing to give CJ 2 years in AA...
to figure out what he really is. Just think, even if he spends the next two years in Mississippi, he’d still be younger than Ryan Howard was after his first full season in A ball. The guy is really young, and doing well. If a team comes along and really wants him in a deal that improves the organization, you gotta take it, but I’ve got no problem seeing how Cody Johnson does the next two seasons in AA at 21/22, and 22/23.
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 24, 2009 8:09 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I believe in Cody. He may not justify my belief, like so many before him, but we won’t know that for awhile. Until then, mash on you crazy bastard.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
I expect him to struggle early with AA pitching...
and a lot of “told ya so” from the naysayers. The real test for Cody will be if he can keep that K rate around the same as he moves up the ladder this year, and then how he adjusts in the second half and next year.
He might struggle early, but he’s also been a guy who starts hot, so who knows. Either way, anyone putting too much emphasis on what he’s doing in the first month or two, good or bad, is probably going to look a little silly at the end of the year. He’s definitely a wait until the end type of guy. I wish he hadn’t played all of August with his side injury and killed his numbers. Some of the doubters might realize how good he actually was without that month there.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
At this point it is too hard to tell.
The single A strikeout numbers are an ominous sign, but kids can improve. I am just afraid that he will have a Halman-esquse season at AA. But hey, we have some good instructors on the farm and maybe he’ll match up with someone who can help him next year. The K’s don’t need to disappear, they aren’t going to do that; but I would like to see a full season around 150 K’s instead of over 170.
There had to be something strange going on with Halman’s season. He spent 61 games in AA the year before and played great. There’s no logical reason why he should drop 115 points in OPS from one year to the next and strike out way more than he ever has. I don’t follow the Mariners so I don’t know if he was hurt or what but other than just completely forgetting the fundamentals of hitting there’s no reason for the collapse at the same level.
I agree, the Ks are troubling, but there’s proof he’s getting better as a hitter, even if it’s not showing up in the Ks. His OBP jumped dramatically last year and he was able to up his slugging a little, these are good signs. He’s getting better as a hitter, even if it’s not showing up in his average and the types of outs he makes. Frankly, he’s probably always going to hit for a low average, probably always going to strike out a ton, probably always going to be a less that stellar defender (though I really don’t think he’ll ever be worse than Ryan Kelsko or Matt Diaz). But, if he can hit a lot of homers, drive in a lot of runs, and rack up a high OPS, he’ll be worth it, like most power hitters, who have the same problems.
And, he’ll only be 21 in 2010. Heck, he could spend the next 4 years between AA and AAA and be a rookie at 25, ready to mash. It’ll be a long while before Cody is a failure, and probably never at all.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
I agree that it will be a long while...
…before Cody can be considered a failure. However, given the average success rates of all prospects that haven’t succeeded yet a AA, it is quite possible he will eventually be a failure. On the other hand, he might be a great success. That young, you never know, but the odds are against almost all of them.
This is true. The attrition rate is scary.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
Well, hey we are agreeing twice in the same thread.
CB’s unite! Merry Christmas!
But with his age,...
I think he’d have better average odds. If he just doesn’t have the ability to make enough contact, we’ll see that. But he’ll certainly have the time to work on it if so, because as cb says, only 21 when the season starts next year. That leaves a lot of time to develop, as he’s still younger than several of last year’s draft picks.
Good points cb...
I will say this too; I’d love to see him play some games in Colorado. He might hit one to Nebraska (or Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, depending on which direction the stadium is aimed.
Sorry about the "Kody" thing...
…the K’s just keep jumping from the stat sheet to his name. I really should only do it when I think he is being overhyped and people are forgetting how often single A pitchers can throw it by him.
Honestly, I love the power and I hope he can get the contact up to a level where he can be a productive or even good major-leaguer. It just isn’t there yet. But he is young, there is still time.
why.
is the nickname JayHey. if i ever call him that or refer to him by that name i must no longer be a fan. Heyward is a badazz name enough, leave it at that eh.
Because his first name is Jason and his last name is Heyward…
"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."
by justincredubil02 on Dec 25, 2009 2:47 AM EST up reply actions
And there is a Hall of Famer nicknamed the Say Hey Kid...
change the S to a J, and we hope that’s the player we’re about to call up.
fill in the blank.....
Freeman is the best 1st base prospect the Braves have had since…..
by blitzerlover on Dec 25, 2009 12:36 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Bob Horner
If Albert played in the AFL, they’d have to rename it the AZ/NM Fall League, based on where his homers landed.
Bob Horner was never a 1B prospect.
He was a 3B until he got too fat to play it. (didn’t take too long).We haven’t had many 1B prospects. Wes Helms, Scott Thorman, Brian Hunter, Francisco Cabrera, Gerald Perry, Tommy Gregg.
Dale Murphy? In 77 he started playing 1b in the minors, and was there full time in 78, despite being drafted as a C
Ryan Klesko. He was a stud 1B prospect.
But, seriously, ever. Freeman is the best 1st Base prospect the Braves have ever had.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
Scott Thorman.
I keed, I keed.
"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."
by justincredubil02 on Dec 25, 2009 3:52 PM EST up reply actions
fill in the blank.....
Freeman is the best 1st base prospect the Braves have had since…..
by blitzerlover on Dec 25, 2009 12:36 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Fail, sorry about that. Posting from my phone.
by blitzerlover on Dec 25, 2009 12:36 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
My Blackberry had paperweight mode…
"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."
by justincredubil02 on Dec 25, 2009 3:54 PM EST up reply actions
Will I get shot if I mention....
…Brad Komminsk? He did win someone bucco bucks in the Goody’s HR Jackpot Inning despite being a total bust. Of course, maybe he was an OF, not a 1B. Crap, I am drunk. Merry Christmas, all!
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