Freese's 2011 Postseason: By The Numbers

That's right. David Freese had the greatest playoff run that an offensive player could have. We go By The Numbers for the following analysis.

In the history of Major League Baseball, only three position players have won both the League Championship Series and World Series MVP awards in the same postseason. David Freese (2011), Darrell Porter (1982), and Willie Stargell (1979) have all accomplished this feat.

In comparing each player statistically during their respective postseasons, David Freese's playoff surge in 2011 was highly productive:

Figure One

Darrell Porter's 1982 postseason was highly reputable, as he posted a combined slash line of 0.351/0.442/0.568, with an OPS of 1.010. However, he only produced one home run in a combined 37 at-bats and had just as many strikeouts as walks.

In analyzing Willie Stargell's postseason in 1979, his slash line was far superior to Porter's, as a combined 0.415/0.435/0.927 with an OPS of 1.362 is highly impressive. Also, of the three players that have won MVP honors in a League Championship and Fall Classic in the same postseason, Stargell had the most home runs, with five. However, his SO/BB ratio is the highest on this list at 2.67.

In reference to Figure One above, David Freese combined slash line from the 2011 National League Championship Series and World Series is 0.444/0.528/0.889 with an OPS of 1.417, which is the highest in this group. He also included four homers and had more walks than strikeouts, resulting in a SO/BB ratio of 0.71. His production was rather extraordinary and was greater than that of Porter and Stargell. In the context of position players, David Freese's playoff run was the greatest in the history of professional baseball.

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