World Series MVP Freddie Freeman Finally Gets Moment In The Spotlight

Freddie Freeman has for a long time been floating just beneath the radar as one of the most anonymous superstars in any North American team sport. He’s never led his league in any one of the Triple Crown categories. He did win an MVP award back in 2020, but that was in the season shortened to 60 games by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Well, he sure did take a sledgehammer to that anonymity with his four-homer tour de force in the Dodgers’ five-game victory over the Yankees, being named the World Series MVP for his efforts. This despite being significantly hobbled with an ankle injury that had rendered him almost completely ineffective in the early rounds of the playoffs.

Freeman is 35 years old now, and it won’t be long before his eventual Hall of Fame candidacy will begin to be discussed. He has accumulated 60.7 bWAR to date, with 60 generally considered a rough benchmark for eventual enshrinement. He is not an “in your face” offensive player. His exit velocities aren’t all that overpowering – Freeman is more of a technician with a strong K/BB profile, low pop up and high fly ball and line drive rates, who uses the entire field. His is a skill set that is built to last, but this type of player is often underrated both during and after his career.

Personally, I believe that his recent World Series dominance will have an outsized positive effect on his legacy, and makes him a heavy favorite to someday make the Hall. But he already had my mythical vote long before the last couple of weeks.

I have long rated offensive players across eras by their career combined number of standard deviations above league average on-base and slugging percentage. Freeman currently has the 2nd most combined standard deviations above league average among active players, behind only Mike Trout, crossing the 40 barrier this season. Trout didn’t have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title in 2024, so Freeman is the highest ranking 2024 qualifier from a career value perspective. So that doesn’t sound like a big deal to you? Well, here is a list of the most accomplished active qualifying offensive player going all the way back to 1911. Tell me this isn’t an exclusive list:

1911-14 – Honus Wagner

1915-25, 1927-28 – Ty Cobb

1926 – Tris Speaker

1929-34 – Babe Ruth

1935-38 – Lou Gehrig

1939-41 – Jimmie Foxx

1942-45 – Mel Ott

1946-48 – Johnny Mize

1949-51, 1954-60 – Ted Williams

1952-53, 1961-63 – Stan Musial

1964-68 – Mickey Mantle

1969-71 – Willie Mays

1972-75 – Hank Aaron

1976-83 – Carl Yastrzemski

1984-88 – Mike Schmidt

1989-93 – George Brett

1994-96 – Wade Boggs

1997-2004, 2006-07 – Barry Bonds

2005, 2008-09 – Manny Ramirez

2010 – Jim Thome

2011-16, 2018 – Albert Pujols

2017, 2019-21 – Miguel Cabrera

2022-23 – Mike Trout

2024 – Freddie Freeman

I mean, who’s the WORST hitter on that list? Whoever it is, he’s Hall of Fame caliber. A couple things that list sparks in my mind…….man, is Carl Yastrzemski underrated. Alex Rodriguez and Frank Robinson came the closest to making that list without cracking it. To make it you have to be great for a long time, and that’s exactly what Freddie Freeman has been.

Freeman is also the active career leader in runs scored (1298), hits (2267), doubles (508) and RBI (1232), so his mainstream Hall of Fame case is a lot stronger than you might think. His career slash line of .300-.387-.512 is exemplary, and 343 homers are nothing to sneeze at.

He is the ultimate hit-before-power guy, albeit one with plenty of power. His traits make him slump and down season-proof. Freeman has gently begun his decline phase, and we are approaching the point when he’ll become a warning track fly ball machine. His adjustments at that point will determine his end game – will he slowly, gradually fade away, or focus more on pull power for perhaps another big season or two before a hard crash?

Whatever, he has earned the right to pursue the path of his choice. And whatever he chooses, due in large part to his 2024 World Series dominance, his eventual destination will be Cooperstown.