Freddie Freeman, First Base, Los Angeles Dodgers


Date of Birth: 9/12/1989
Birthplace: Fountain Valley, California

Freddie Freeman, first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2007 while he was still in high school. He played in the minor leagues for the Braves from 2007 through 2010 and ended his minor league career with a .303 batting average.

Freeman made his first appearance with the Braves on September 1, 2010. That year, he played in just 20 games with the Braves. In 2011, his rookie season in the major leagues, Freeman batted .282 with 161 hits, 32 doubles, 21 home runs, and 76 RBIs in 157 games.

Freeman had his best year in 2013, batting a career high of .319 with career highs in hits (176), home runs (23), and RBIs (109) in 147 games. On February 4, 2014, the Braves rewarded Freeman for his strong playing with an eight-year, $135 million contract extension. He finished the 2014 season with 175 hits, a career high 43 doubles (second most in the National League), 18 home runs, 78 RBIs, and a .288 batting average in 162 games.

Freeman spent time on the DL in June and July, 2015, with a bone bruise and a wrist injury. He finished the 2015 season with a .276 batting average, 115 hits, 27 doubles, 18 home runs, and 66 RBIs in 118 games. Defensively, at first base, he made 63 assists, 103 double plays, 893 putouts, and 4 errors and he had a .996 fielding percentage.

Freeman had a good 2016 season, finishing with a .302 batting average, career highs in hits (178), doubles (43), and home runs (34), and 91 RBIs in 158 games. Defensively, as the Braves' first baseman in 158 games, he made 107 assists, 116 double plays, 1,305 putouts, and 5 errors.

Freeman spent time on the DL in 2017, limiting his playing time to 117 games. He batted .307 with 135 hits, 35 doubles, 28 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 95 strikeouts to 65 walks. Defensively, as the Braves' first baseman in 105 games, he made 56 assists, 72 double plays, 829 putouts, and 4 errors. He also played 16 games at third base.

Freeman had a very strong season in 2018, leading the National League in hits with 191. He finished the season with 44 doubles, 23 home runs, 10 stolen bases, 98 RBIs, and a .309 batting average in 162 games. Defensively, as the Braves' first baseman in 161 games, he made 72 assists, 116 double plays, 1,268 putouts, and 7 errors. In the postseason, he had 4 hits, including a home run, and 1 RBI in 16 at-bats in 4 games. He struck out three times and walked once.

Freeman won his first Gold Glove award in 2018.

Freeman had another strong season in 2019. He won his first Silver Slugger award for batting .295 with 176 hits, 34 doubles, 38 home runs, 121 RBIs, and 127 strikeouts to 87 walks in 158 games. He also played well defensively and he won his second Defensive Player of the Year award. As the Braves' first baseman in 158 games, he made 63 assists, 128 double plays, 1,296 putouts, and 6 errors. In the postseason, he had 4 hits, including a double and a home run, 1 RBI, 6 strikeouts and 1 walk, and a .200 batting average in 20 at-bats in 5 games.

Freeman had an outstanding 2020 season, winning the NL MVP award and his second Silver Slugger award. He finished the season with 73 hits, 23 doubles, 13 home runs, 53 RBIs, 37 strikeouts to 45 walks, and a .341 batting average in 60 games. He led major league baseball in doubles and in runs scored (51). Defensively, he played 58 games at first base. In the postseason, he had 12 hits, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 7 RBIs, and a .279 batting average in 43 at-bats in 12 games.

Freeman had another strong season in 2021. He won his third Silver Slugger award for batting .300 with 180 hits, 25 doubles, 31 home runs, 83 RBIs, and 107 strikeouts to 85 walks in 159 games. Defensively, as the Braves' first baseman in 159 games, he made 101 assists, 95 double plays, 1,252 putouts, and 3 errors. In the postseason, he had 17 hits, 3 doubles, 5 home runs, and 11 RBIs in 56 at-bats in 16 games. He struck out 17 times and walked 12 times.

Freeman became a free agent on November 3, 2021. He signed a six year, $162 million contract with the Dodgers on March 18, 2022.

Career batting statistics for Freeman through 2021 include:

  • 1,565 games played
  • 1,704 hits
  • 367 doubles
  • 271 home runs
  • 941 RBIs
  • 1,312 strikeouts to 776 walks
  • .295 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Freeman at first base through 2021 include:

  • 1,539 games played
  • 888 assists
  • 1,147 double plays
  • 12,417 putouts
  • 63 errors
  • .995 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Freddie Freeman
ESPN - Freddie Freeman