Dodgers star Freddie Freeman’s slump draws honest Dave Roberts response

Said Roberts, “It’s a slump, and it’s very unusual for a guy like Freddie. He’s frustrated, he’s trying to change his daily habits, if that correlates to getting hits. He’s not used to struggling, and so, even the at bat versus [Sean[ Manaea yesterday, you don’t see him chase like that. So, he’s clearly kind of searching right now. He’ll get through it, but it’s just kind of one of those things that hitting is difficult. Even for Freddie Freeman.”

So far this season, Freeman is hitting .259 for the Dodgers with one home run and eight RBIs. Those aren’t necessarily terrible numbers, but are well below of Freddie’s career output and what Los Angeles expects out of him in the lineup.

Dodgers historic top of the order

After adding Shohei Ohtani to a lineup that already featured Freeman and Mookie Betts, the Dodgers have assembled a top of the order that strikes fear into opposing pitchers.

Before the season began, Freeman said he didn’t care where he batted in the Dodgers’ lineup.

“I’ve hit both, so it doesn’t really bother me where I hit. … I think collectively, we have nine guys that could hit 1, 2 or 3 on our team. I think we’re kind of set on something right now, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Betts is playing at an MVP-level so far in 2024. Were he to take home the NL MVP Award in 2024, he’d become only the second player in history after Hall of Famer Frank Robinson to win an MVP in both leagues.

The 31-year-old is off to the best start of any hitter through the first three weeks of the season. Both versions of WAR have Betts more than a half-a-win over the next best player in the Senior Circuit. In many cases, he’s more than doubled the value of other top 10 players.

Betts leads his league with a 1.137 OPS, a figure that bests his career-high season of 1.078 with Boston in 2018. That year he was named American League MVP.

After a slow-ish start, Ohtani is starting to mash for the Dodgers as well. Entering Saturday’s action, Ohtani is hitting .356 with four home runs and 11 RBIs with an OPS of 1.022

That just leaves Freeman as the lone top of the order hitter for the Dodgers that has yet to bust out in 2024. With catcher Will Smith having a breakout season hitting behind him, hopefully Freeman can get back to what he does best – stay patient, not chase bad balls, and drive pitches into both gaps.