Some Thoughts on Presence, and Freddie Freeman

For over a decade, the first baseman was the cornerstone of the Atlanta Braves. And now he’s gone.

First base, as a position, has a certain amount of clout. Shortstop does too. Center field. There is, of course, the battery: the pitcher and the catcher. But catchers are interchangeable now, and pitchers are so disposable one got pulled as I was writing this sentence. The only centerfielder I can think of is Mike Trout, and the Last Great Shortstop, at least in the dizzying Americanized spell of good ol’ boy shortstops, was the Captain, Derek Jeter.

The thing about first basemen is that they are there. For a first baseman, presence is paramount. A rope down the line: first baseman is there. A chopper to the shortstop, who has to throw to first: first baseman is there. Droning pickoff attempts in the middle innings: first baseman is there. Single to left, after which the runner ambles conversationally back to first: the first baseman is there.

For 1,565 games over the last twelve years, Freddie Freeman was there for the Atlanta Braves. He isn’t there anymore.

On Monday, the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves traded four prospects to the Oakland A’s for Matt Olson. Matt Olson is a first baseman. He does this…