On Friday night, the Braves struck a piercing blow to the Marlins' already-faint playoff chances with a 3-2 win in Miami. Freddie Freeman went 1 for 3 with a run scored. It's not a huge line, but he scored the game-tying run in the sixth inning and just continued an unbelievable -- and under-the-radar -- season.
It's easy to see why Freeman's career year has gone under the radar. The Braves are 63-91 and have been in last place all season. Sure, they are 32-33 since the All-Star break and have been notably tough in September (13-8 entering Saturday), but once a team is buried at 18-46 in the middle of June, most people just start ignoring them. There are 30 teams to watch, after all.
But Freeman's season deserves plaudits. He's currently in the middle of a strong streak:
Freddie Freeman has a hit safely in 38 of his last 39 games--best streak for a Brave since Tommy Holmes hit in 41/42 in 1945
— Trent McCotter (@trentmccotter) September 24, 2016
He's also been doing his thing all season. It's tough for a veteran who has previously been on playoff teams to now go through a rebuild, but Freeman's been a true pro, leading the youthful clubhouse and playing pretty much everyday.
Freeman's previous best season was 2013, when he finished fifth in NL MVP voting. He won't get that high this season, partially because there are so many players having great years and partially because his team is bad. Still, check out the seasons, side by side:
| Season | AVG/OBP/SLG | OPS+ | WAR | 2B | HR |
| 2013 | .319/.396/.501 | 147 | 5.7 | 27 | 23 |
| 2016 | .303/.400/.564 | 156 | 6.2 | 43 | 31 |
Freeman has driven in 24 fewer runs this season, but you have to consider the lineup differences. The 2013 Braves were fourth in the NL in runs scored, while the 2016 Braves are currently 14th. Even through that, Freeman has managed to score a career-high 95 runs. He's also stolen a career-high six bases (in only seven tries).
There's an advanced statistic called "adjusted batting runs" that attempts to measure an individual player's total contributions to his team's runs scored on the season. Freeman leads the NL and trails only Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Jose Altuve in all of baseball (left side, seventh row down).
Freeman is still only 27, so while he'll be an elder statesman, he's plenty young enough to be part of the Braves' turnaround. For now, we shouldn't minimize what an incredible season he's having. He's been one of the best players in baseball. I don't think he should come close to winning the MVP, but he's definitely worthy of some down-ballot consideration (perhaps a few 10th-place votes).
