Bum elbow mars Freeman's MVP-caliber season

ATLANTA -- Before the elbow became a problem and the National League Division Series proved to be forgettable, Freddie Freeman had constructed a strong NL Most Valuable Player Award resume for the third time in the past four years.

“We’re not here today without Freddie,” third baseman Josh Donaldson said shortly after the Braves were eliminated. "Freddie had a hell of a year. Sometimes, the ball doesn’t go your way."

Donaldson expressed these words after a 13-1 Game 5 loss on Oct. 9, which was essentially decided when the Cardinals scored nine runs before the Braves recorded the day’s second out. The 10-run first might have been a one-run first had Freeman not fumbled Yadier Molina’s potential double-play grounder. Memories of this game could have also been avoided had Freeman not lowlighted his 2-for-16 performance through the first four games by squandering the extra-base hits Ronald Acuna Jr. recorded in both the seventh and ninth innings of a 5-4 10-inning Game 4 loss.

“I didn’t come through,” Freeman said. “I know everybody’s going to say what they want to say, but this one’s on me.”

In so many ways, this is not how this was supposed to end, especially for Freeman, who was producing a career-best season before a bone spur in his right elbow blemished September and soured October.

Here is a look back at Freeman’s season:

What went right
As Freeman drove in a career-high 121 runs, he maximized the value Acuna and the Ozzie Albies/Dansby Swanson combo produced at the top of the lineup. His career-best 38 homers and his .549 slugging percentage indicated he had regained the strength that was lost when he fractured his left wrist six weeks into the 2017 season.

From '18 to '19, Freeman’s barrel rate jumped from 9.3 percent to 12.5 percent. His average exit velocity rose from 89.1 mph to 89.7 mph. His hard-hit rate increased from 39.8 percent to 42.3 percent. These improvements were encouraging, but they would have been much more impressive had the elbow not become a problem in September.

Freeman exited August ranked seventh in the NL with a team-best 144 wRC+. Much has understandably been made of how the Braves took off once Acuna moved back to the leadoff spot on May 10. But while Acuna produced his own MVP credentials during this span, Freeman was every bit as productive.

From May 10 through the end of the regular season, the Braves produced the NL’s second-best winning percentage (behind only the Dodgers) and secured a second straight NL East crown. Leading the team in WRC+ during this span were Freeman (139), Donaldson (133) and Acuna (128).

Unfortunately for Freeman, many of the most recent memories of this impressive season have centered on:

What went wrong
When Freeman drilled a pair of homers against the White Sox on Sept. 1, a 40-homer season seemed inevitable. But instead of tallying the two homers needed, he batted .235 with just three extra-base hits (all doubles) over his remaining 81 plate appearances in the regular season. He hit .128 with one extra-base hit over his last 49 plate appearances dating back to Sept. 11.

When Freeman exited a Sept. 13 game at Nationals Park, he revealed that the bone spur in his right elbow had occasionally bothered him over the past couple of seasons. He returned to the lineup the next afternoon and remained there until resting on Sept. 21, the day after the Braves clinched the division.

Freeman experienced more discomfort before making another early exit from the Sept. 22 series finale against the Giants. At this point, the Braves decided it would be best for him to remain in Atlanta while they traveled to Kansas City for a two-game series. The hope was that four days of rest would prove sufficient.

But when Freeman rejoined the Braves at Citi Field on Sept. 27, it was apparent he was still limited by the elbow discomfort. The four-time All-Star took some hesitant swings, cautiously threw the ball around the infield between innings and held his elbow close to his right rib cage when he ran on and off the field.

Freeman refused to make excuses about his elbow, repeatedly denying that it bothered him as he went 4-for-20 with a homer and a double during the NLDS. He has since had the spur surgically removed. But there’s nothing he can do to avoid wondering what might have been had his elbow never proved problematic.

Best moment
Freeman had three two-homer games from Aug. 15-Sept. 1. But the most memorable of his 38 homers was the walkoff blast he hit off Brewers closer Josh Hader on May 18.

“That was two of the best left-handers in the game going one-on-one,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

At that point, Freeman’s Statcast-projected 391-foot shot was just the third homer Hader had allowed in 169 at-bats against left-handed hitters.

“It’s just a name on the back,” Freeman said of Hader. “It’s just another lefty throwing 94-96. You face those guys all the time. We know he throws up in the zone. I was just looking for something up. It didn’t matter if it was a slider or fastball. I just wanted to get my foot down because you know he has the ride on it.”

2020 outlook
Dr. David Altchek removed three fragmented loose bodies and cleaned multiple bone spur formations while performing surgery on Freeman’s elbow on Oct. 16. The Braves' medical staff has been encouraged by the range of motion Freeman has already regained. The veteran first baseman should be able to make all normal offseason preparations and should not have any limitations at the start of Spring Training.