Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Added Exit Velocity By Slowing Down
Freddie Freeman went three games without a hit and needed to figure out how to get back on track. He wasn’t hitting the ball hard and wasn’t finding the gaps for extra bases until April 21.
That day, he went 2-for-3 with two doubles and is currently on a nine-game hitting streak. His return to Toronto showed that slowing down can speed things up.
Of the eight balls Freeman put in play during the Dodgers’ series in Toronto, six were hit 98 mph or harder, according to Statcast. That includes a 106-mph home run Sunday, his second of the year. He entered the weekend averaging 87.9 mph on all balls in play, per Statcast.
Freeman told reporters he’s changed his batting practice routine recently.
“And everything’s kind of been working. (I’ve) just been kind of doing really, really slow, soft swings in BP and letting the adrenaline of the game take the swing a little bit hard, and things have been, the last week, been a lot better.”
— Freddie Freeman
Freeman also addressed his relative lack of power compared to recent seasons.
“Things are starting to more often be a good swing than feeling one good swing every couple days,” Freeman said. “Not trying to hit home runs. I don’t care. I just know once the swing is there for being a good hitter, the power will come behind it.”
— Freddie Freeman
During his streak, Feeman has raised his batting average from .259 to .308 and he has driven in 11 runs. Perhaps Freeman is feeling comfortable and returning to last season’s form.
Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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