2020 in Review: Mike Freeman

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

He did exactly what the Indians asked of him in 2020, and that was neat.

Mike Freeman went to Edgewater High School in Orlando, Florida. I, too, am from the Orlando area. I find this to be neat.

“Neat” is also the word I would use to describe Mike Freeman’s time with the Cleveland Indians. He hit .277/.362/.390 in 2019, though we all expected regression to the mean given his .388 BABIP. That came to pass during the plague-shortened 2020 season as he posted a .237/.302/.316 slashline while filling in at 1B, 2B, 3B, SS and LF during the year. He was worth 0.0 fWAR and -0.2 bWAR in these endeavors.

I have absolutely no issue with a replacement-level utility guy who can fill in at five positions when necessary. It’s neat. He’s neat.

Here’s a picture of him as gorilla while riding a rhinoceros, courtesy of site member Stale Lips:

This, too, is neat, although I do not understand it.

He elected for Free Agency this offseason and may or may not return to Cleveland. Given that he’s either slightly-better-than or exactly replacement level, I don’t have any logical strong feelings about it. On an emotional level, I kind of want him to come back.

There’s something about continuity in a sports team that feels wholesome, and that extends all the way down the bench. Mike Freeman provides a pinch of “grit” to the team and he seems like an Overall Good Dude. If you doubt that, here is evidence.

Here is more.

Also, here is is getting a little bit philosophical about doubt, growth, and adversity, and how to reframe challenges and setbacks as opportunities on the Growth Project podcast.

Sure, the fact that a baseball player seems to be an All-Around Good Dude doesn’t justify his spot on a roster. The intangibles that come along with a player like Freeman might, though. We may never understand the value of being a good teammate well enough to account for it in advanced metrics, but you can tell when it is present.

If he moves on from Cleveland, I wish him the best. If he hangs around, I hope that ends up being for a couple more season, at least. Maybe longer: his mindset and approach to the game strike me as a the beginnings of a cornerstone for being a great mentor and coach.

I will leave you with Freeman’s best highlight from the 2020 season.

GRIT. UTILITY. NEAT.