Mike Freeman shouldn’t exist.
At 32 years old and with only 57 PA under his belt entering the season, no one could have seen Freeman and his 132 PA and downright adequate offense taking the league — or at least one Indians gave every couple weeks where he hits well — by storm.
What’s his secret? He hardly looks like a distinguishable athlete, and most of the time I’m pretty sure he’s just a shorter Corey Kluber in a disguise. But somehow, some way, he’s turned a career of grueling minor-league work into a solid backup season for a major-league playoff contender.