Dodgers' Freddie Freeman Doesn't Care That Statcast Hates Him

J.P. Hoornstra | May 31, 2024

May 28, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) singles during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Freddie Freeman’s average exit velocity of 88.9 mph ranks seventh on the Dodgers, according to Statcast. In an era where the ability to hit the ball hard with consistency is more synonymous with greatness than batting average, Freeman doesn’t care.

A career .301 hitter, Freeman continues to find a way to get the job done without the fastest bat on the planet. Freeman explained the secret to his success to The Athletic:

“I know I have a short swing and have made it work for me. I live middle-middle away. If I go middle away on the fastball and catch the slider out front it’s pull-side power alley. It’s nice when people hit the ball 120 or whatever but I can’t chase those numbers.”

- Freddie Freeman

Plate discipline, a short swing, and a bat path that allows him to spray the ball around the field in the air are three traits few hitters are able to combine with Freeman's precision.

Still, the advanced metrics are easy to point to in a "down year" for the 2020 National League MVP. Freeman's average (.291), on-base percentage (.396), and slugging percentage (.460) are all below his benchmarks from his first two years with the Dodgers. His slugging percentage is down more than 100 points compared to 2023.

Some have pointed to a drop in exit velocity (91.3 mph to 90.0 to 88.9 over the last three seasons) as cause for concern. Freeman's bat speed (69.9 mph) was not available to us until this year. Now that Statcast is publishing tracking bat speed for every player in the league, we know Freeman ranks in the 23rd percentile of all hitters.

This doesn't seem to bother the Dodgers' 34-year-old first baseman. He's a decent bet to make the National League All-Star team for the sixth consecutive year when balloting ramps up in June.

However Freeman is getting it done at the plate, the Dodgers will take it.