Freeman ready to lead Braves’ resurgence

It was a little more than three years ago when Freddie Freeman signed a huge, eight-year contract extension. He was, in effect, becoming the face of the Atlanta Braves with a $135-million-dollar deal.

Freeman couldn’t imagine that a year after agreeing to stay in Atlanta the Braves would start a rebuilding project. As he entered the prime of his career, Freeman would be asked to play for a team starting over.

The Braves won only 67 games in 2015 and then 68 games last season. It wasn’t exactly what he signed up for.

“It’s definitely was tough the last couple of years,” Freeman said. “It’s something that you never want to go through as a player, but now you’re starting to see what we’ve got coming.”

The Braves started last season 9-28, but after a managerial change and a few moves, got back on track. They were 37-35 after the All-Star break and 20-10 in the final 30 games of the season.

“When we traded for Matt Kemp that was the light that we finally got to see at the end of the tunnel,” Freeman said. “Bringing up Dansby (Swanson) and the trade for Ender (Inciarte) also was a huge one for us. It was fun to come to the yard at the end knowing you’re going to be in the same spot every day and the guys were going to go out there and give it everything they’ve got.

“The last couple of years it was just kind of guys filling in, trying to make the most of what you could do ... guys almost trying out to make the team the next year. Every day was a new lineup. It was nice to come to the yard and know where everybody was hitting. Having a routine every single day leads to more comfortable at-bats and just going out there being able to play. The second half it showed. No one wanted to play us in September last year.”

Freeman was one of the reasons why. In his final 50 games of the season, Freeman batted .365 with a .484 on-base percentage, 16 home runs and 48 RBI. It showed why the Braves made the investment in Freeman and why they will now count on him even more this season.

Something else became obvious last season, as even at the age of 27, Freeman became one of the leaders of the team. It was inevitable, really, as players who are paid the most are looked at for leadership. Freeman had a good education of how to have a strong clubhouse presence by watching Chipper Jones at the end of his career. Freeman now applies a similar approach.

“Chipper was one of the quiet ones who went about his business, and when he talked, you listened,” Freeman explained. “I’m not much of the rah-rah guy. I think Nick (Markakis), and I have pretty much the same personality. We want to play every single day, play the game the right way and treat people with respect. I think that ultimately rubs off on people. Matt’s more of a loud one, and Brandon Phillips can get into it, too. Dansby has a great head on his shoulder. We have a great balance of leadership. We have a great group of guys now who are baseball players and want to go out and win.”

There is a new spirit in spring training this year for the Braves. The environment is not one you’d expect from a team that lost 93 games a season ago. Instead, it’s a group, led by Freeman, that believes anything is possible.

“We have one mindset, and that’s to get to the playoffs and win the World Series,” Freeman said. “I think with the team we put out there in the last 30 games last year and the additions we made in the offseason, I don’t see a limit.”

This story was originally published March 21, 2017 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Freeman ready to lead Braves’ resurgence."