Freddie Freeman is a superstar, and it’s time someone said it

Freddie Freeman is currently leading the MLB in on-base percentage and OPS+, yet we don’t talk about him like the superstar he really is.

Don’t get it twisted, Freddie Freeman is a Superstar, capital-S. It’s nothing new, either, as he’s been one basically since he burst onto the scene as a rookie, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting. Since, then he’s been good enough to earn an 8 year, $135 million dollar contract. That makes him the only Brave making more than $20 million, but he isn’t talked about as such.

People want to talk about the young guys, like Ozzie Albies, or Ronald Acuna. If not them, then the resurgence of Nick Markakis. Freeman has been the real leader for this team. He leads the team in RBIs, while leading the MLB OBP with .433. For a league that has increasingly begun to value OBP this should be enough to enter him into the discussion as a superstar. Joey Votto rode his OBP to second place in the MVP voting last year.

So what else makes Freeman great? He not only is getting on base and hitting for average with .333; he is hitting for power with 13 home runs this year, well on his way to his 162 game average of 38 per year. This gives him a greater isolated power stat than sluggers like Nelson Cruz and Paul Goldschmidt.

Despite his .374 BABIP, Freeman shows no signs of slowing down. He has a career BABIP of .343 and is generally over the critical .300 mark. All the raw statistics about how he is hitting a baseball projects him to only perform better. He is making quality contact 8.8% of the time, good for 23rd in baseball, ahead of players such as Kris Bryant and Francisco Lindor. This has given him an expected wOBA of .458, the fourth highest expected wOBA this season, higher than Bryce Harper. So, don’t be surprised if his already 7th best wOBA continues to rise.

Put him on the Yankees or Cubs and we’re talking nationally about Freeman the same way we are Aaron Judge or Kris Bryant. Don’t let his playing in Atlanta be a detriment to his stardom — because it’s not.

Freddie Freeman has been the biggest contributor for the division-leading Braves this year, firmly cementing the superstar status he should’ve had years ago.

Put some respect on his name.