Bullet point summary by AI
- Freddie Freeman continues to etch his name into MLB history, reaching a significant milestone this weekend.
- The veteran star recently surpassed legendary Braves figure Chipper Jones on the all-time doubles list while wearing a rival’s uniform.
- This achievement stirs complex emotions among fans, particularly when paired with Freeman’s public reflections on his past mentorship.
Freddie Freeman moved into 32nd in MLB history in doubles on Saturday, with 550 of them in his illustrious 17-year career. As impressive a feat as this is, Freeman only moving into 32nd is hardly newsworthy until you realize who he leapfrogged in the process. Freeman passed fellow Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones, in a turn of events that has all Braves fans in their feelings. This is only exacerbated by Freeman’s reflection on his friendship with Jones.
“Yeah, I would say so,” answered Freeman when asked if there was added meaning to overtaking Jones. “I know he’ll tell me he’s still got me in homers. But yeah, Chipper has meant a lot to me. My approach and the inside line of the batter’s box, try to keep my hands through it, he’s the one that told me that. He told me to hit the ball through the wall, not over the wall. There’s a lot of things that I took from him when I first came up. He definitely meant a lot to me earlier in my career.”
It’s hard for young players to thrive without a mentor in place to show them the ropes. Jones was Freeman’s mentor and guiding light at the beginning of his career. That’s what makes Freeman passing Jones while wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform much more painful.
Freddie Freeman was supposed to be the next Chipper Jones
Jones meant a lot to Braves fans for two reasons. First, he was a Hall of Famer on the field. That, obviously, is very important. Second, the Braves were the only team Jones ever played for. Jones was selected in the first round of the 1990 MLB Draft by Atlanta and hung around with that franchise until he retired after the 2014 campaign. Freeman has been a great player ever since he set foot on a MLB field, but he failed to follow in Jones’ footsteps by staying with the Braves.
Freeman spent 12 years with the Braves and was nothing but fantastic. It felt like a sure thing that he’d re-sign with Atlanta as a free agent, especially after leading them to a World Series title, but he wound up signing with the Dodgers instead.
The break-up has worked out for both sides, if we’re being honest. Freeman is still an awesome player, and he’s won a pair of World Series titles with the Dodgers. The Braves haven’t won it all since Freeman left, but it’s not as if that’s his replacement, Matt Olson’s fault. Olson is one of the best first basemen in the league, and he’s also far more durable and four years younger.
The Braves are fine without Freeman, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t miss him.
Freddie Freeman had a chance to follow in Chipper Jones’ footsteps
Freeman could have stayed with the Braves if he wanted to. The Braves offered him a five-year, $135 million deal, which he turned down. This is obviously within Freeman’s right, and to his credit, he was able to get the sixth year he coveted from the Dodgers. Sure, the Braves could have gone the extra mile to get Freeman to stay, but why bother if they had a chance to get a younger and cheaper option in Olson?
Freeman would’ve been just fine on a five-year deal that was set to pay him over $30 million annually, but he chased the money and the Dodgers over enhancing his Braves legacy. That’s what sets him apart from Jones among Braves fans. Jones himself was not happy with Freeman’s decision to turn the Braves down.
“I do not agree with the way that this was handled on Freddie’s side. If you want to play in Atlanta, you play in Atlanta,” Jones said. “You maybe take a little less to be happy and play in a place that is comfortable for you. The second that Freddie told me that he rejected the 5 for $135 [million] after the All-Star break, I told him, ‘You’re playing a very dangerous game. You go out on the free agent market, you get courted by all the pretty girls that are on the block, chances are, you’re not gonna come back. If you take your time waiting on that six-year [deal] into January, [Atlanta] has a job to do.'”
Freeman can do whatever he wants – it’s his career after all – but he should have been a lifelong Brave. Watching him pass Jones on the all-time doubles list in a Dodgers uniform and then reflect on his relationship with the Braves icon has Atlanta fans wondering what could’ve been, and I can’t blame them.
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