Dodgers News: Former MLB Player, Current Analyst Makes Case for Freddie Freeman Winning NL MVP
All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman might be Andrew Friedman's greatest free agent signing of all time. All he's done since joining the Dodgers in a move that shocked the industry last spring is hit better than .325 while getting on base at a better than 40% clip and mixing in his Gold-Glove caliber defense.
This season has been even better than last year's MVP-caliber campaign and has put him firmly in the conversation as a legitimate MVP finalist in the National League at this point of the season.
ESPN analyst Doug Glanville touched on Freddie's MVP hopeful season so far in a recent conversation with DodgersNation.com.
“He’s consistent in his approach,” Glanville said, “He’s just trying to stay behind the ball, stay inside the ball, hit to the big part of the field. It’s short, it’s compact, it’s simple, it’s patient. And that works with everything. And he’s found an ability to do it lefties or righties or any scenario. He has that calm about him. That’s what impresses me. ... “This guy’s on an MVP pace, and he was actually my pick for MVP this year so I’m feeling pretty good.”
Freeman is only a few points behind former Atlanta teammate Ronald Acuna in OPS (Acuna .971, Freeman .960) and has a slight edge over the Braves star in wRC+ (162 > 159). Glanville was also impressed by Freddie's stolen base acumen. Not so much the totals (Acuna has the firm lead in that category 26 to 8 for Freeman) but the timeliness and situational awareness of when to swipe a bag.
Acuna is the current NL MVP favorite among most MLB pundits but Freddie, who won the award in 2020, needs to be taken more seriously in the conversation.
