Braves prospect Freddie Freeman getting noticed

by gondeee on Jun 26, 2009 3:29 PM EDT in Minor League News Comment 23 comments

So much of the prospect talk this year has been about Tommy Hanson, Jordan Schafer, and Jason Heyward, and all those prospects are very deserving of all the talk and praise that has been piled up on them. But there is another young prospect for Atlanta who is doing just as good as any prospect we have; one who may have just as large of an eventual impact on the Atlanta roster. His name is Freddie Freeman.

Ranked in 2009 as Baseball America's 87th-best minor league prospect, Freeman has done nothing but improve that ranking by hitting .317 this season, increasing his batting average each month from April (.253), to May (.333), to June (.366). The afore mentioned Baseball America has listed him several times on their hotsheet, and do so again this week:

...Though his seven-game hitting streak came to an end with an 0-for-5, three strikeout performance, 1B Freddie Freeman (Braves) has hit safely in 16 of his last 18 games for High Class A Myrtle Beach. He only played in four games this week because of the all-star game, but Freeman, 19, made the most of his opportunities. A second-round pick in 2007, Freeman registered seven hits in 17 at-bats and scored five runs, upping his season totals to .317/.395/.474...

Adding to the praise by BA, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus spotlights Freeman as one of yesterday's top performers, saying this about the young first baseman:

Freeman had a breakout season in 2008, but the pitching haven that is Myrtle Beach turned out to be a challenge, at least initially for Freeman, who hit just .253 in his first 20 games. Now 12-for-24 in his last six games and batting .317/.395/.474 overall in 63 games, he's back to looking like one of the best pure hitters in the Carolina League.

Freeman's power is down this year, having only hit 1 homerun on the road (5 at home), but he is hitting plenty of doubles, leading the team with 18.

When we do our mid-year top-25 prospects at the MLB All-Star break, I fully expect that Freeman will be listed on most people's list as the number-2 prospect in the Braves system.

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Freeman might have been the most under-rated guy on top 100 lists last winter… I don’t think those same lists are going to make the same mistake twice.

I look for him to have a monster second half.

Q: If on-base pct is so important then why don't they put it on the scoreboard? -Failcoeur

A: Because the Braves don't want to show their fans how bad you suck.

by timmy3 on Jun 26, 2009 3:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I am obsessed with lineup orders...

So what spot do you think he profiles as?

Heyward profiles as our next #3 but Freeman doesn’t seem to have the pure power to hit #4. Is he sort of a high average/RBI #5-6 hitter or am I way too premature to start profiling his lineup spot?

by bbxxj on Jun 26, 2009 3:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think he could be a good 5/6...

He makes good contact and has a decent amount of patience. ’05 LaRoche with a better BA?

Remember, kids...don't ever let facts get in the way of your argument.

by MichaelProcton on Jun 26, 2009 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

premature

Freeman is not a physically mature prospect. He’s got a big frame that he hasn’t filled out and a swing that should allow him to hit a good amount of homers as the strength increases. He’s playing in a pitcher’s park and has a lot of doubles that will turn into homers as he fills out. I’d think 25 homerun potential is a reasonable projection.

by was385 on Jun 26, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not a Braves guy, but I was very excited to see my college classmate Dan Hudson on the Hot Sheet. Huddy has moved from Low A all the way to AA this year and is straight up kicking ass!

"At least he didn’t nail the bitchy fat girl from Hell's Kitchen."
www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Jun 26, 2009 3:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

always fun…i had freshman english with josh fields at uga

"When life gives you lemons, just say 'F*ck the lemons,' and bail."

by Bravely going forward on Jun 26, 2009 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Freeman should have gone to the futures game

by Heyward is the next crime dog on Jun 26, 2009 3:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Freeman is straight raking as of late

But lets hope he isnt turning into a Casey Kotchman type 1B; good fielding, good hitting but with NO power. I would be a little more excited if he had 10 homers or so instead of his 6, but hey, who am i to complain?

Im excited for 2011.

AB: Jeff Francoeur
Pitching: Any pitcher in MLB
Runners: Escobar at 3rd, Chipper at 2nd, McCann at 1st.

Pitch 1: In play, out(s)

by mvhsbball on Jun 26, 2009 3:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

He IsoSLG’d .205 last year as an 18-yr old playing full-season ball in a pitcher’s park. Kotchman has never had an ISO over .200 in his career at any level.

Freeman’s a lot further ahead of Kotchman at the same age, and he’s a much bigger guy. I really don’t think the power numbers this year are anything to be concerned about.

And he’s hit .348 since April as the youngest player in his league… There’s just not much to complain about with this guy, IMO.

Q: If on-base pct is so important then why don't they put it on the scoreboard? -Failcoeur

A: Because the Braves don't want to show their fans how bad you suck.

by timmy3 on Jun 26, 2009 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

ISO?

Jesus, is there a book for all the new terms somewhere i can pick up or something?

AB: Jeff Francoeur
Pitching: Any pitcher in MLB
Runners: Escobar at 3rd, Chipper at 2nd, McCann at 1st.

Pitch 1: In play, out(s)

by mvhsbball on Jun 26, 2009 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes.

Remember, kids...don't ever let facts get in the way of your argument.

by MichaelProcton on Jun 26, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

thank you my friend

AB: Jeff Francoeur
Pitching: Any pitcher in MLB
Runners: Escobar at 3rd, Chipper at 2nd, McCann at 1st.

Pitch 1: In play, out(s)

by mvhsbball on Jun 26, 2009 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

haha

Remember, kids...don't ever let facts get in the way of your argument.

by MichaelProcton on Jun 26, 2009 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And ISO (or ISOP)=Isolated Power=(SLG-BA)

It describes how a player is doing with regards to power without factoring in the BA boost singles give you in slugging.

Remember, kids...don't ever let facts get in the way of your argument.

by MichaelProcton on Jun 26, 2009 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

thank you again my friend

AB: Jeff Francoeur
Pitching: Any pitcher in MLB
Runners: Escobar at 3rd, Chipper at 2nd, McCann at 1st.

Pitch 1: In play, out(s)

by mvhsbball on Jun 26, 2009 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I understand the theoretical concern...

But at the end of the day, four homers over 60 games ain’t much to worry about.

Remember, kids...don't ever let facts get in the way of your argument.

by MichaelProcton on Jun 26, 2009 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Timeline

He is in A ball right now, will he have to make the typical jumps to AA and AAA? How long will this take?

Isn’t Kotchman under contract only through this year? Is there a bridge from Kotchman to Freeman?

by SupermanWearsBobSander'sPJs on Jun 26, 2009 5:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Kotch is under control through ’11.

One would imagine that if Freeman continues to hit, he might get the call to AA late this season, then start there next season, which could potentially lead to an expanded roster (September) callup in ‘10 (several of our players were called straight up from AA in ’05, though and that’s been a rising trend in baseball.) After that, he’d probably play in AAA in ‘11 and be ready to come up if we needed him in the event of an injury or if he gets some time to start learning a corner OF spot. So…the earliest you’d see him would almost certainly be September of next year for a cup of coffee, and then ‘11 on a full-time basis, although they’d probably want him to see some time in AAA if they could afford it (we see what happened to Schafer.)

Remember, kids...don't ever let facts get in the way of your argument.

by MichaelProcton on Jun 26, 2009 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Give Freeman's age and his development

I think he projects to be perhaps another Justin Morneau. One difference is that Morneau debuted at age 22, and Freeman is perhaps a year ahead of that curve assuming he keeps developing as expected. Which means he should win the MVP in 2014 =D

The other top comparison I see is Todd Helton. Helton did hit 49 homers once, but that was in pre-Humidore (sp?) Colorado, so you can ignore that. Freeman is more like the post 2001 Helton: high avg and OBP (though if TP is still the hitting coach, he probably never posts a .450+ OBP) with decent pop. I’m hoping that he’ll gain a little better grasp of the strike zone as he matures (not that he really struggles with this), and his BB rate and K rate will both improve slightly.

by Bronn on Jun 26, 2009 8:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

These comparisons are him hitting his full potential though. If he develops into a Morneau or a Helton…holy crap, that would be exciting. I imagine maybe something like a Lyle Overbay (which is still very good) might be a decent expectation, or indeed an Adam LaRoche.

by soup du jour on Jun 27, 2009 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I really don’t think it’d be a stretch for him to be comparable to Morneau. I’m probably a bit optimistic, but he’s similar height, similar build, and he should have 30 homer potential. Right now he has more doubles than anyone else in the entire organization besides Barbaro. Let him put on a couple of years’ muscle and get him out of Myrtle Beach, and many of those doubles become home runs. He’s on pace right now for like 46 doubles and 13-14 home runs.

I’ll be rather disappointed if he’s not a.290/.350/.500 guy by his third full season.

by Bronn on Jun 27, 2009 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I really think he can be a .400 OBP guy. The plate discipline is still coming along, but he’s going to hit for average, and if he continues to improve the walk rate he’ll be in great shape. Add to that what seems to be a very obvious penchant for taking HBP, and it’s obvious he’s committed to making himself a high-OBP guy. Even though this franchise doesn’t seem to give a damn about that.

Q: If on-base pct is so important then why don't they put it on the scoreboard? -Failcoeur

A: Because the Braves don't want to show their fans how bad you suck.

by timmy3 on Jun 28, 2009 3:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We’ll see how Freeman’s power develops but its great to see two Braves’ prospects, in Freeman and Heyward who have good approaches. That is hard to come by for guys their age and is one of the most difficult things to develop.

"Four of us wolves, running around the desert together in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine..."

by jeg on Jun 27, 2009 12:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs