Freddie Freeman

Freddie Freeman is a 33-year-old professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers of the Major League Baseball. Freeman is an infielder that is used predominantly as a first baseman. He played the most of his major league career with the Atlanta Braves from 2010 to 2021. After 12 seasons in Atlanta, Freeman was signed by the Dodgers as a free agent in 2022. Freeman is known as one of the league’s elite hitters and won the Most Valuable Player Award in 2020.

September 12, 1989, age 33

Bats: Left, Throws: Right

No. 5

Los Angeles Dodgers

Freddie Freeman Early Life and Background

Born in Fountain Valley, California, to Fredrick and Rosemary Freeman, Freddie attended El Modena High School in Orange, California. His parents are both from Ontario, Canada and therefore Freeman holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is the youngest of three children and has two older brothers, Andrew and Phillip. Freeman grew up a fans of the Los Angeles Angels and excelled at baseball at an early age. By the time he was nine years old, he was already playing with 12-year-old players. During his high school days, Freeman was used predominantly as a pitcher and third baseman. Orange Country Register named him 2007 player of the year. He later signed a letter of intent to play baseball at California State University, Fullerton.

Who Drafted Freddie Freeman

At the age of just 17, the Atlanta Braves drafted Freddie Freeman in the second round of the 2007 MLB draft with the 78th overall pick. Freeman passed on the opportunity to play for California State University and jumped straight to the big leagues. His initial contract was for $409,500. Freeman started his professional career with the Gulf Coast Braves in 2007. He worked his way up the ladder and joined the Class A Rome Braves in 2008. By 2009, he moved up to Class A-Advanced with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and also played with the AA Mississippi Braves. He had a .248/.308/.342 slash line after 41 games in Mississippi and was promoted in 2010 to the AAA Gwinnett Braves. By 2010, he was ranked the Braves second-best prospect by Baseball America.

Freddie Freeman's MLB Journey

On September 1, 2010, Freddie made his MLB debut for the Atlanta Braves. He appeared in 20 games for the Braves that season and had a .167/.167/.333 slash line. He recorded his first major league home run on September 21 against the Philadelphia Phillies’ Roy Halladay. Freeman had done enough to earn a place in the 2011 roster and played in 157 games that season. He impressed the organization with 21 home runs, 76 RBIs, and a .282 batting average. In his first full season in the majors, Freeman was named NL rookie of the month in the month of July. In August, Freeman continued his fine form with a 20-game hitting streak. He finished second that year in the Rookie of the Year votes.

From 2012 to 2014, Freeman continued to thrive in the majors. Over that three-year period he hit 64 home runs and 281 RBIs. He was selected to his first All-Star game in 2013 and repeated that feat the following season. On February 4, 2014, the Braves signed Freeman to an eight-year extension worth $135 million. During that season, he led the team in batting average and OPS.

In 2015, Freeman was considered a vital member of the Braves rebuild. He contributed with 393 games between 2015-2017. In 2018, he was once again selected to the All-Star Game and won his first Gold Glove. Her proceeded to win three consecutive Silver Slugger Awards from 2019-2021. With an impressive .341/.462/.640 slash line and 13 home runs and 53 RBIs (60 game season), he was awarded the 2020 NL MVP. That season, he was selected as an All-MLB First Team player for the first time.

In 2021 Freeman was an integral part of the Braves team that won their first World Series in 26 years. He contributed with 31 home runs and 83 RBIs that season and helped the Braves beat the Houston Astros in six games in the World Series.

After a very successful spell with the Braves, he decided to move on and signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers. On March 22, 2022, he finalized a six-year, $162 million contract with the Dodgers.