Dodgers: Freddie Freeman Highlights, Grades and More | 2022 Year in Review
Welcome to part two of the annual Dodgers Nation player grades and season reviews, this time for the 2022 season. Up next is the guy we didn’t know would be part of the team until spring training, but he ended up being L.A.’s best player: Freddie Freeman. Check out Trea Turner in part one here.
Freddie Freeman spent the first 12 years of his career in Atlanta, and he planned on spending the rest of his years there, too. But when he asked for a six-year contract and the Braves wouldn’t budge past five, it started to look like he might end up elsewhere. Then Atlanta traded for Matt Olson and signed him to a long extension, removing all doubt that Freddie’s time there was done.
So Freeman came home to Southern California, signing a six-year deal with the Dodgers during spring training. And so far, that deal seems to be working out for both sides.
Freeman finished fourth in the National League MVP voting, leading the league with 199 hits, 47 doubles, a .407 on-base percentage, and 117 runs scored and finishing just behind Jeff McNeil with a .325 batting average. It was the fourth time in Freeman’s career he’s had a .300+ batting average, .400+ OBP, and .500+ slugging percentage.
Fan Vote Results
Dodger fans took to Twitter to give Freeman a grade for his 2022 season in Los Angeles. Here are the results:
Next up in our 2022 grades series?
How would you grade Freddie Freeman's season as a whole?#DNpolls #2022LADgrades #Dodgers— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) November 8, 2022
Of the 1,180 fans who voted, 76.9% gave him an A, with 19.2% awarded him with a B. Just 3% of fans gave him a C, and the 0.9% who are impossible to please gave him an F. It’s hard to imagine fans being much happier with Freddie in his first year in L.A.
Dodgers Nation Take
Yeah, that was an A-grade season from Freeman. He played solid defense at first base and hit the ball well all season long. His leadership and approach made an impact not just on younger players like Gavin Lux, but even on established superstars like Mookie Betts and Trea Turner.
There’s still room for Freddie to be even better — his 152 OPS+ was just the fourth-best mark of his career — but anything better from him this year and we would have had to put an A+ option on the poll.
Los Angeles has Freeman for at least five more years, so we’re excited to see if we can get that A+ season from him in 2023.
What’s Next
Freddie will be manning first base at Dodger Stadium for the next five years, at least, and he’ll be sharing the top of the lineup with Betts that whole time. Trea Turner probably won’t be back next year, but Freddie should still get plenty of opportunities to drive in and score runs.
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