MLB: The game’s most valuable first basemen
By Bill Felber
2. Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves, $8.61 million value; $21 million salary
As with Rizzo, Goldschmidt and – to a lesser extent Santana – one understands that Freddie Freeman is being paid only in part for his on-field production. That being so, the fact that he will never approximate an equitable on-field return on the team’s investment in him isn’t a fair measure of his contract.
It’s also worth noting that to the extent Freeman is taking advantage of the Braves in the more than $100 million, five-year deal he signed prior to the 2017 season, he’s only squaring the books. Between 2011 and 2013, Freeman also generated multi-million-dollar positional value, and did so for salaries that barely, if at all, exceeded the minimum.
That’s the way baseball’s salary system works: Owners work over the players for the first several seasons, then the players – at least those who survive – work over the owners.
Freeman’s .549 slugging average was third best among his peers in 2019, justifying $4.69 million in salary. His .389 on base average, again third best, added another $2.69 million in value.
He played 1,366 innings, the majors’ third highest total among first basemen, valuing out to $1.165 million. His range, as reflected by his total of 66 assists, was only average, probably costing him the position’s No. 1 spot.