The Loop
Freddie Freeman’s son Charlie is busy hitting BOMBS inside the Braves bubble
Freddie Freeman is having a remarkable season. A few short months removed from a bout of COVID-19 that had him, quite literally, begging for his life, the 31-year-old first baseman finished the regular season batting .341 with 53 RBIs, 13 homers, and an eye-popping slugging percentage of .641. The performance has earned Freddie some (mostly) tongue-and-cheek MVP buzz, but as it turns out, he might not even be the best power hitter in the Freeman family. That title belongs instead to Charlie Freeman, who was seen getting in some hacks with dad inside the Atlanta Braves bubble this weekend. Apparently pop is a genetic trait.
If that was a load-bearing wall, the structural integrity of the entire bubble is now in jeopardy, especially after that third jack, which exits with some serious velo, as we like to say in the industry. If you recall, the last time we saw little Charlie, it was dad taking him deep. From the looks of things, the cleat could soon be on the other foot.
Charlie is only four, but it sure looks like he’s set to join Griffey, Vladdy and El Nino on the MLB’s lengthy list of pint-sized slam successors. Until then, the full-size version has some work to do. According to Fangraphs, the Atlanta Braves, who kick off their NLDS series against the Marlins on Tuesday, currently have the second-best chance to win the 2020 World Series at 18%. But with one of the worst starting staffs in the majors this year, that’s going to require on thing: Lots and lots of dingers.
Who knows, maybe Charlie can pinch hit.