One of the biggest question marks in the Atlanta Braves lineup before the 2011 season involved who would fill the revolving door position at first base. It was quickly decided that rookie Freddie Freeman would take over at first, but many Braves fans were unsure how the highly touted prospect would fair through an entire season. After a slow start to the season, the rookie was one of several targets of criticism in the cold Atlanta offense.
For Freeman, a trip back to his native California was the perfect remedy for his early season woes. After batting around the .225 mark for the first 15 games of the season, Freeman has seen a surge at the plate batting .375 over the last week and homering in two of his last five outings. The rookie is also showing off his excellent defensive skills at first base. Almost every game has seen at least one impressive in-the-dirt snag by the agile rookie.
Freeman’s recent success comes at a much needed time for the Braves, who have struggled in almost every offensive category. Run scoring and on-base percentage have been dreadfully low compared to last seasons team. Atlanta can only hope that veterans Dan Uggla and Nate McClouth can also break out of their own cold starts. If Atlanta can maintain their impressive pitching and get the expected production from the cold spots in the order, they are poised for a much more successful month of May.
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