The Struggles of Young Freddie Freeman

It has been an up and down rookie season for Freddie Freeman, who started off the season ice cold, then went on a tear for about 2 weeks before falling back into the doldrums he is currently in right now. Truth be told, Freddie has struggled when adjusting to a new level at every stop in his big league career, so this really shouldn't be taken as a surprise, considering he is only 21 years old as well. He has a nice approach at the plate and seems to be willing to take a pitch, evidenced by an excellent 12.2% BB rate. In addition, his 22.8% K rate isn't awful for a 21 year old, as we should figure on that improving a bit as he gets a bit older. However, when looking at his plate discipline statistics, he really hasn't been disciplined enough at the plate.

What really jumped out at me when checking out these stats was that only 37.4% of the pitches Freddie has seen have been pitched inside the strike zone this season, as compared to a major league average of 46.6%. This is a good thing, as it allows Freddie to be patient and wait for his pitch, and it should allow him to work counts in his favor, which he has at times this year. However, despite his 12.2% BB rate, he has been overly aggressive at the plate this year, as he has swung at 32.9% of the pitches he sees outside the strike zone, compared to a major league average of 28.6%. On these pitches he swings at outside the strike zone, he makes contact at an above average rate, leading me to believe that the contact he is making is not very good contact. His 16.2 percent line drive rate backs that assumption up.

I would imagine the jump from AAA to the majors is the most difficult one for a ball player to make, and it won't be any different for Freddie Freeman. He is going to learn, we just don't know how long it will take. Despite being pretty patient and taking his walks this year, Freddie is going to have to swing at better pitches when he does decide to offer at them. I'm sure its difficult, as his desire to prove himself as a rookie is probably weighing on him, and pitchers are going just out of the strike zone to get him out. Freddie's biggest adjustment to date will be bringing those pitches into the strike zone by taking even more pitches, as long as they continue to nibble. And if they continue to nibble, take a walk. Not making an out as a very good thing in the grand scheme of things. Once that adjustment is made, he can start being more aggressive on the pitches he wants, rather than the ones the opposing pitcher wants.