So, some Atlanta Braves fan out in Twitterland is demanding I apologize to Freddie Freeman. Why? Last November I wrote, "Freeman is a good player but not a superstar."

That was an accurate statement at the time. First basemen who don't slug .500 aren't big stars, unless they have a .400-plus OBP and play first base like Keith Hernandez. Freeman had posted one big season in 2013, when he hit .319/.396/.501 with 23 home runs and 109 RBIs. Those were career bests in all those categories, but the season was driven by a high .371 BABIP; when that regressed the next two seasons, his averages fell to .288 and .276 without an increase in power, and his WAR dropped from 5.7 to 2.9 and 3.4 (he did some time on the DL in 2015). He was an above-average player but not superstar level.

Freeman was entering his age-26 season, but with five full seasons in the majors, it seemed like he had maxed out into a consistent, 20-homer, .840 OPS kind of hitter. While many players do break out at 26, with that much experience, it seemed unlikely Freeman had much improvement left.

Freddie Freeman's opposite-field power has helped him reach the 30-home run mark for the first time. AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Well, I was wrong. So I apologize, Mr. Freeman.

The Braves' first baseman is hitting .303/.398/.564 with 31 home runs and 42 doubles. Baseball-Reference values him at 6.1 WAR, tied for third among NL position players; FanGraphs values him at 5.7 WAR, also third in the league. It's been a superstar season. In fact, with Freeman leading the way (he's riding a 26-game hitting streak entering Friday), Braves position players actually lead the NL in WAR over the past 30 days, according to FanGraphs. Hope for the future, perhaps.

What's driven Freeman's improvement? He has always been a guy who has sprayed the ball around -- I always thought John Olerud was a good comparison for him, including the physical resemblance -- and I figured he would need to pull the ball more to increase his home run total.

That actually hasn't happened. His pull percentage this year is 38.5 percent, actually a tick below his career norm of 40.6 percent. So the approach seems the same. What has happened is that more of his fly balls to the opposite field have cleared the fences. His home run locations:

Year: RF / CF / LF

2012: 12 / 9 / 2

2013: 13 / 5 / 5

2014: 7 / 6 / 5

2015: 7 / 6 / 5

2016: 11 / 8 / 12

Some notes:

1. His fly ball rate is up from 2014-15, although slightly lower than 2012-13.

2. His line-drive rate is up, although line-drive rate is far less stable year to year than fly ball rate. His combined fly ball/line-drive rate is way up, with a .47 ratio of grounders to fly balls/line drives/popups, as compared to a career rate of .61. However, according to ESPN Stats & Information data, only two hits labeled as line drives have gone for home runs. So the increased home runs are attributable to more fly balls leaving the park. He's slugging 1.056 on fly balls, as compared to .619 in 2014 and .812 in 2015.

3. His BABIP (batting average on balls in play) is at .374, fourth highest in the majors.

4. His strikeouts are at a career-high rate of 24.7 percent. Maybe he has learned to sell out a little more for power at the expense of a few additional strikeouts.

5. Finally, we keep track of "well-hit average" and Freeman's well-hit average is .215, but that's below his career mark of.221; and his average fly ball distance, while four feet longer than last year, is two feet less than 2014.

So, what's it all mean? I wonder if Freeman is one of those players who has most benefited from the "lively" ball this year. I'll be curious to see if there's somebody smarter than me who could study that issue. A few more doubles off the wall to left field have turned into home runs and few fly balls that were caught have turned into doubles. He has probably been a little fortunate in the BABIP category. Maybe.

Anyway, it's been a terrific season. A good player can become a star with just minor improvements. It appears that is what has happened with Freeman.