David Freese, Third Base, Retired

Date of Birth: 4/28/1983
Birthplace: Corpus Christi, Texas
College: University of South Alabama

David Freese, retired third baseman, was first drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2006 but he only played in the minor leagues while with them. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008 and he made his first appearance in the major leagues in the 2009 season, playing in 17 games with the Cardinals.

Freese suffered from an ankle injury and had surgery in 2010. He ended up playing in just 70 games with the Cardinals that season. The following year, he fractured his left hand and ended up playing in only 97 games. However, he was healthy for the 2011 post-season and he played exceptionally well in the playoffs and World Series. He batted .397 with 25 hits, 8 doubles, 5 home runs, and 21 RBIs (an MLB record) in the 2011 post-season. His efforts earned him the National League Championship Series MVP award and the World Series MVP award.

Freese had a strong 2012 season, batting .293 with career highs in hits (147), home runs (20), and RBIs (79). On February, 2013, the Cardinals and Freese agreed to a one-year contract. In 2013, he batted .262 with 121 hits and 26 doubles in 138 games.

In November, 2013, the Cardinals traded Freese to the Los Angeles Angels. He finished the 2014 season with 120 hits, 25 doubles, and a .260 batting average in 134 games. He played in three postseason games and he had one hit in eight at-bats.

Freese broke a finger in July, 2015, and he spent time on the DL. He finished the season with a .257 batting average, 109 hits, 27 doubles, 14 home runs, and 56 RBIs in 121 games. Defensively, at third base, he made 179 assists, 13 double plays, 54 putouts, and 8 errors in 113 games.

Freese signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 11, 2016. He played in 141 games in 2016, finishing with a .270 batting average. He had 118 hits, 23 doubles, 13 home runs, and 55 RBIs. Defensively, he played 58 games at first base, 2 games at second base, and 78 games at third base.

Freese batted .263 in 130 games in 2017. He had 112 hits, 16 doubles, 52 RBIs, and 116 strikeouts to 58 walks. Defensively, as the Pirates' third baseman in 116 games, he made 222 assists, 29 double plays, 66 putouts, and 12 errors.

The Pirates traded Freese to the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 31, 2018. He finished the 2018 season with 83 hits, 51 RBIs, 72 strikeouts to 24 walks, and a .296 batting average in 94 games with the Pirates and 19 games with the Dodgers. Defensively, he played 29 games at first base and 58 games at third base.

Freese spent time on the DL in 2019 with a left hamstring strain. He played in 79 games and he had 51 hits and a .315 batting average. In the postseason, he had 4 hits, including a double, 3 strikeouts to no walks, and a .500 batting average in 8 at-bats in 4 games.

Freese retired after the 2019 season.

Career batting statistics for Freese through 2019 include:

• 1,184 games played
• 1,041 hits
• 197 doubles
• 113 home runs
• 535 RBIs
• 974 strikeouts to 370 walks
• .277 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Freese at third base through 2019 include:

• 916 games played
• 1,557 assists
• 183 double plays
• 456 putouts
• 90 errors
• .957 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - David Freese
ESPN - David Freese