Freddie Freeman Demonstrates Why Quest For 60 Doubles Merits Praise

The race for the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award is highly competitive given the excellence demonstrated by a quartet of ball players. Two pairs of teammates from the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers will merit serious consideration by 30 members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) who will serve as voters. In contention but not presently the frontrunner, Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is pursuing something greater than an award he has already won in 2020 after receiving 28 out of a possible 30 first-place votes. Besides World Series glory, Freeman strives for consistency as evident in an impressive array of extra base hits. His prowess for hitting doubles will soon set a single-season franchise record as Freeman is also chasing membership in an exclusive club that hasn’t admitted anyone since Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the President of the United States of America.

After signing a six-year, $162 million contract with the Dodgers in March 2022, there were questions regarding Freeman’s surprising departure from Atlanta and adjusting to life in Los Angeles beginning with where he would hit in the batting order. According to Baseball-Reference, Freeman had accumulated 4,674 plate appearances batting third for the Braves over a period of 11 seasons which had produced an on-base plus slugging (OPS) of .900. In Freeman’s final two seasons with the Braves, he had posted a .968 OPS over 526 plate appearances while hitting second in the batting order.

Besides fitting perfectly in terms of performance and chemistry, the Dodgers are witnessing how Freeman’s humility is the bedrock upon which he has built a competitive spirit and affable personality. They will be in business with Freeman for a long time given the $57 million in interest-free, deferred compensation as per the terms of his contract. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the payments will occur every July 1^st beginning in 2028 and ending in 2040 when he will be 50-years-old. The first eight years will have annual payments of $4 million while Freeman will receive $5 million annually in the final five years. A potent offensive presence behind the multi-talented Mookie Betts, Freeman has received high praise for developing into one of the best in Major League Baseball when it comes to hitting second in the batting order.

According to Baseball-Reference, there have been 11 ball players who have accumulated at least 1,000 plate appearances while hitting second in the batting order beginning in 2020 through August 29^th of this year. Freeman’s .951 OPS ranks third behind Los Angeles Angels designated hitter/right-handed pitcher Shohei Ohtani’s 1.035 OPS and New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge’s 1.012 OPS. Besides leading in several statistical categories such as plate appearances (1,496), runs (258), hits (415), base on balls (178), and total bases (698), Freeman’s dominance is confirmed by an impressive slash line: batting average (BA)/on-base percentage (OBP)/slugging percentage (SLG). His .322/.410/.541 slash line is supported by a batting average on balls in play (BABIP) of .364, best among the 11 ball players.

It’s easy to marvel at Freeman’s propensity for doubles while hitting second in the batting order. Out of the previously referenced 11 ball players, Freeman’s 104 doubles lead the group with 75 doubles being the closest competitor coming from shortstop Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers. In terms of extra base hits, Freeman is outpacing Seager with 165 compared to 145 from the Rangers shortstop.

As Miami Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez has been praised for reintroducing Major League Baseball to the art of hitting singles, Freeman is the crown prince of doubles. From the outset of the 2020 season through August 29^th of this year, Freeman leads Major League Baseball in hits (628), doubles (145), and is tied for second in extra base hits (241) according to Baseball-Reference. Always finding a way of being in scoring position, Freeman also leads Major League Baseball in runs (397), runs created (453), and runs produced (631).

Freeman has hit 50 doubles in 522 at bats through August 29^th according to Baseball-Reference. Another way of looking at it is Freeman hits a double once every 10.44 at bats. As of August 30^th, the Dodgers have 30 ball games left on their regular season schedule. If Freeman plays every inning of each of the ball games and averages four plate appearances, he’ll have 120 plate appearances to hit 10 doubles to achieve 60 for the season.

Besides having eight multi-double ball games this season, Freeman has scored at least one run in 36 of the 42 ball games in which he has hit a double as well. He is three away from setting a new single-season franchise record that is currently held by outfielder Johnny Frederick. In 1929, Frederick led Major League Baseball with 52 doubles over 628 at bats while playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He hit a double once every 12.08 at bats.

The major league record for most doubles in a single season is currently held by Earl Webb according to Baseball-Reference. While playing for the Boston Red Sox in 1931, Webb hit 67 doubles in 589 at bats. In other words, a double every 8.79 at bats. The last time a ball player had surpassed 60 doubles in a season occurred in 1936 with two Hall of Famers: St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joe Medwick (64) and Detroit Tigers second baseman Charlie Gehringer (60). In total, there are only six members of this club in baseball history.

As the Los Angeles Dodgers maintain a business as usual approach when it comes to winning, Freddie Freeman’s fingerprints are firmly implanted on the ball club’s success. Besides his positive impact on the Dodgers’ culture, Freeman’s style of play is endearing since it is predicated on consistency. He exudes elegant simplicity in an analytically driven game by turning doubles into an artform. While he might not regularly appear at the forefront of conversations regarding launch angle and exit velocity, Freeman’s pursuit of doubles and run scoring opportunities puts him in an entirely different category worthy of praise and recognition.