David Freese

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Freese
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – No. 6
Third baseman
Born: (1983-04-28) April 28, 1983
Corpus Christi, Texas
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 6, 2009 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Career statistics
(through 2013 season)
Batting average .286
Hits 448
Home runs 44
Runs batted in 237
Teams
Career highlights and awards

David Richard Freese (born April 28, 1983) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. Formerly with the St. Louis Cardinals, he was instrumental during the 2011 postseason, batting .545 with 12 hits in the 2011 National League Championship Series (NLCS). He also set an MLB postseason record of 21 runs batted in (RBI), earning the NLCS MVP Award and World Series MVP Award. In addition, Freese won the Babe Ruth Award, naming him the MVP of the entire 2011 MLB postseason.

A star high school player, Freese declined a college baseball scholarship from the University of Missouri. Needing a break from baseball, he sat out his freshman year of college before feeling a renewed urge to play the game.[1] He then transferred to St. Louis Community College-Meramec, a junior college, where he played for one season before transferring to the University of South Alabama.[2]

The San Diego Padres selected Freese from South Alabama in the ninth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. Before the 2008 season, the Cardinals acquired him in a trade for Jim Edmonds. He made his MLB debut on Opening Day, 2009, due to an injury to starting third baseman Troy Glaus. Despite suffering his own injuries in the minor leagues and first two MLB seasons, Freese batted .297 with 10 home runs and 55 runs batted in (RBIs) during the Cardinals' 2011 World Series championship season. The next season, he batted .293 with 20 home runs and was selected to his first All-Star Game. Freese authored a 20-game hitting streak in 2013 but back injuries limited his effectiveness and the Cardinals traded him to the Angels after the season.[3]

Early life

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Freese was raised in the Greater St. Louis area, in Wildwood, Mo., and he grew up a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals.[2] He graduated in 2001 from Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri.[4] Freese recorded a Lafayette-record .533 batting average and 23 home runs during his senior season.[1] He was considered to be the best shortstop in the state.[1]

Freese in June 2011
Freese at third base.

As a senior in high school, Freese was offered a scholarship to play college baseball for the University of Missouri's baseball team, competing in the Big 12 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. Feeling burned out, Freese decided instead to quit the sport.[1][2] He enrolled at the University of Missouri, where he studied computer science and pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon.[2]

During the summer after his freshman year, Freese worked for the Rockwood School District maintenance department.[1] When he visited Lafayette High School towards the end of the summer, he realized how much he missed baseball.[2] Freese asked Tony Dattoli, the coach at St. Louis Community College-Meramec, for a roster spot.

St. Louis Community College is a junior college, which participates in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). During his one season at St. Louis Community College, Freese hit .396 with 41 runs batted in (RBI) and 10 home runs and was named to the NJCAA All-America second team.[5] Dattoli[6] recommended Freese to Steve Kittrell, the head coach of the Jaguars baseball team at the University of South Alabama. At South Alabama, opposing teams respected his hitting ability; scouts told their pitchers: "Don't let Freese beat us."[2][7] In 2005 as a junior, Freese hit .373, with a .443 on-base percentage (OBP), .525 slugging percentage (SLG), and 52 runs scored in 56 games. He was seventh in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in average and led the school one year after Adam Lind had done so. Freese was even better in 2006, hitting .414 with a .503 OBP and .661 SLG with 73 runs and 73 RBI in 60 games. He won the SBC batting title and also led the conference in RBI. He tied for ninth in Division I in RBI, was 12th in average and just missed the top 10 in runs scored. He made the All-Conference team at third base and was named SBC Player of the Year. He was named an American Baseball Coaches Association All-American as the top third baseman in NCAA Division I, ahead of Evan Longoria and Pedro Alvarez, among others.[8] Kittrell considers Freese to be the best player he coached at South Alabama, where he also coached Lind, Luis Gonzalez and Juan Pierre.[2]

Professional career

Minor leagues: 2006–2008

Prior to the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, the Boston Red Sox attempted to sign Freese for $90,000. However, South Alabama made the College World Series regional playoffs, which extended their season past the pre-draft signing deadline.[9]

Freese was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the ninth round (273rd overall) of the draft. Freese played for the Eugene Emeralds of the Class-A Short Season Northwest League, Fort Wayne Wizards of the Class-A Midwest League and Lake Elsinore Storm of the Class-A Advanced California League in the San Diego farm system in 2006 and 2007. He batted .379 with a .465 OBP, .776 SLG, 19 runs and 26 RBI in 18 games for the Emeralds and .299 with a .374 OBP, .510 SLG and 44 RBI in 53 games for the Wizards in 2006. Freese batted .302 with a .400 OBP and .489 SLG for Lake Elsinore in 128 games during the 2007 season. He scored 104 runs and drove in 96. He ranked seventh in the California League in OBP, seventh in RBI and tied with Tony Granadillo for third in runs. He made the California League All-Star team.[10] However, the Padres had third basemen Chase Headley and Kevin Kouzmanoff as well, potentially blocking Freese's path to the majors. As a result, Freese began to practice as a catcher.[1]

Before the 2008 season, Freese was traded by the Padres to the Cardinals for Jim Edmonds.[7] He spent the season with the Memphis Redbirds of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL), where he batted .306 with a .361 OBP and .550 SLG, hit 26 home runs and recorded 91 RBI.[11] He led PCL third basemen in fielding percentage (.967) and double plays (26).[12]

Early MLB career: 2009–2010

Freese on the basepaths

Freese emerged as a potential starter when an injury seemed likely to put Cardinals starting third baseman Troy Glaus on the disabled list at the beginning of the 2009 season.[13] Freese made his Major League debut on Opening Day of the 2009 season, coming off the bench and hitting a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the Cardinals' home opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.[14] Freese was expected to be the team's starting third baseman, but was quickly passed over by Brian Barden and Joe Thurston.[15] He was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on April 20, 2009 to make room for newly acquired reliever Blaine Boyer.[16] He later had surgery to repair a left ankle injury that hampered him during spring training.[1] He missed two months of the season. He was activated and assigned to the Springfield Cardinals of the Double-A Texas League in late July, before he was assigned to Memphis. He led the Memphis Redbirds to a PCL division championship.[17] He was recalled in the September call-up on September 23, 2009. Freese played only 17 games for the Cardinals in 2009,[1] in addition to 56 games for Triple-A Memphis.

Freese began the 2010 season as the Cardinals' starting third baseman. However, he suffered a right ankle injury in June. This injury required him to have two ankle surgeries and ended his season after 70 games.[1]

Breakout season: 2011

Freese was projected to start the 2011 season,[18] and he was named the starter on Opening Day, despite suffering minor ailments during spring training.[18] He started off the year batting over .320, but was hit by a pitch that fractured his left hand, and missed 51 games.[1] After returning to the starting lineup, he finished the season with a .297 batting average, 10 home runs, and 55 RBI. He recorded hits in eight of the final nine regular-season games.[1] Freese credited his improvement in power hitting to hitting coach Mark McGwire, who helped him refine his stroke.[19][20]

Freese surveys the damage caused by the 2011 Joplin tornado

2011 postseason

In his first playoff series, he drove in 4 runs against Philadelphia in Game 4 to force a fifth game.[21] In the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against Milwaukee, Freese had a .545 batting average, hit 3 home runs, drove in 9 runs, and scored 7 runs. He was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player.[22] Through Game 3 of the World Series against Texas, Freese had a 13-game postseason hitting streak, a Cardinals record and just two short of matching the all-time National League record. The hitting streak was snapped in Game 4.[23]

In Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, with the Texas Rangers leading the game 7–5, and leading the series by 3 games to 2, Freese came to bat in the bottom of the ninth with two out and two men on base. With a count of one ball and two strikes, Freese hit a two-run triple off Neftalí Feliz just out of the reach of Nelson Cruz to tie the game and send it to extra innings. In the 11th inning, again with two strikes, Freese hit a game-winning lead-off, walk-off, solo home-run to deep center field (420 feet), to send the World Series to its first Game 7 since 2002.[24][25][26] Freese joined Jim Edmonds, the man he was traded for, as the only players in Cardinals history to hit an extra-inning walk-off home run in the postseason. He joined David Ortiz (2004) and Hall of Famers Carlton Fisk (1975) and Kirby Puckett (1991) as the only players to hit an extra-inning walk-off home run when their team was facing postseason elimination.[26]

In Game 7 of the World Series, Freese hit a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning, bringing his 2011 postseason RBI total to 21, an MLB record.[27][28] The Cardinals went on to win the game and the series,[29] making Freese a World Series champion for the first time. For his efforts, Freese was named the World Series MVP.[30] He became the sixth player to win the LCS and World Series MVP awards in the same year.[31] Freese also won the Babe Ruth Award as the postseason MVP.[32]

2012 season

Freese won the All-Star Final Vote in 2012, joining the All-Star roster with teammates Lance Lynn, Carlos Beltrán, Rafael Furcal, and Yadier Molina for the National League in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game. Freese had a .294 batting average, along with 13 home runs and 50 RBI in the first half of the season.[33] After being injury-plagued in previous years, Freese played in a career-high 144 games in 2012, finishing the season with 79 RBIs, 20 home runs and a .293 batting average.[34] In the 2012 NLCS against the San Francisco Giants, Freese hit a two-run home run off Madison Bumgarner in Game 1. Through this point in his postseason career, Freese had played 25 games, batting .386 with 11 doubles, six home runs, 25 RBIs and a .739 slugging percentage in 100 plate appearances. Only Carlos Beltrán (.824) and Babe Ruth (.744) had higher slugging percentages among players with 100 or more plate appearances in the postseason.[35] However, he slumped after that game, batting just .192 for the series as the Giants won in seven games and advanced to the World Series.[36]

2013 season

On February 8, 2013, Freese and the Cardinals reached agreement on a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration. This was the first season he was arbitration-eligible and when filing he had requested a 2013 salary of $3.75 million. The Cardinals counter-offered $2.4 million.[34] After suffering a back injury in spring training and starting the 2013 season on the disabled list, Freese struggled at the plate for much of the first six weeks of the season, having only four RBIs by mid-May.[37] However, on May 17, Freese began a twenty-game hitting streak, the longest of any MLB player to that point in the 2013 season. The streak ended on June 12.[38]

On August 16, the Cardinals promoted Kolten Wong to play second base, intending for Matt Carpenter to play third base, reducing Freese's playing time.[39] In the postseason, he collected just 10 hits in 56 at-bats as the Cardinals fell to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.[36]

After the season, Freese again was arbitration-eligible and due for a raise to about $4 million since the Cardinals had not signed him to an extension. On November 22, the Cardinals traded him and Fernando Salas to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk.[40]

Personal life

Freese during 2011 World Series parade.

His father, Guy, is a civil engineer. His mother, Lynn, is a retired teacher.[26] Freese also has a sister, Pam.[41] According to his mother, Freese—a professed lifelong Cardinals fan—had an original Ozzie Smith glove, and while pitching in his younger years always used number 45 in honor of another Cardinals legend, pitcher Bob Gibson.[41]

In December 2009, Freese was arrested for driving under the influence in Maryland Heights, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.[42] Freese blew a .232, which is nearly three times the state's legal limit of .08. It was the second such arrest for Freese, who was also arrested in November 2002 in Maryland Heights for driving while intoxicated.[43] The 2009 arrest was a violation of Freese's probation, due to a September 2007 arrest for resisting arrest (amongst other charges) in Lake Elsinore, California.[44]

On November 22, 2012, Freese crashed his Range Rover SUV into a tree in Wildwood, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Local investigators stated that the crash was a result of Freese's swerving to avoid hitting a wild deer. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash.[45]

In June 2013, Freese signed a three-year deal to endorse and serve as spokesman for Imo's Pizza, a midwest pizza chain headquartered in the St. Louis area.[46] No financial terms of the deal were announced other than as part of the contract Imo's would also donate $10,000 to a St. Louis area charity in Freese's name.[46] He had long spoken of his fondness for the pizza brand prior to the spokesman deal, most notably in interviews following his performance in the 2011 National League playoffs and World Series. During the offseason, he lives in St. Louis.[47]

See also


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 Langosch, Jenifer (October 16, 2011). "Cardinals infielder David Freese's journey required important detour". MLB.com (Major League Baseball Advanced Media). Retrieved October 21, 2011. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 McCullough, Andy (October 19, 2011). "St. Louis Cardinals-Texas Rangers World Series: David Freese came full circle to emerge as hometown hero". The Star Ledger. Retrieved October 21, 2011. 
  3. ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2013/11/22/angels-trade-peter-bourjos-to-cardinals-for-david-freese/3677879/
  4. ↑ Strauss, Joe (January 13, 2011). "David Freese is just fine with new fame". Stltoday.com. Retrieved February 4, 2012. 
  5. ↑ "David Freese". South Alabama Jaguars. Archived from the original on June 28, 2006. 
  6. ↑ Verducci, Tom (February 13, 2012). "The New Man In St. Louis: Nobody, least of all David Freese, saw this coming: The World Series MVP is a hero in his hometown—and, after the departure of Albert Pujols, the Cardinals' cornerstone". Sports Illustrated. SI.com. Retrieved March 17, 2012. "Says [Coach Tony] Dattoli, "From the first day of batting practice there was a different sound of the ball coming off his bat. I remember telling him, 'You're going to be my first major leaguer.'"" 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Cardinals deal Edmonds to Padres". MLB.com. December 15, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2011. 
  8. ↑ "2006 Eugene Emeralds Outlook". The Register-Guard. June 18, 2006. p. D.8. Retrieved October 22, 2011. 
  9. ↑ Hardacker, Jonathan (October 31, 2011). "Report: World Series MVP David Freese Nearly Became Member of Red Sox Organization in 2006". NESN. Retrieved October 31, 2011. 
  10. ↑ Shugar, Mark (June 20, 2007). "Cal League coasts past Carolina: Blanked in Home Run Derby, Bell shines in All-Star Game". MLB.com (Minor League Baseball). Retrieved October 23, 2011. 
  11. ↑ "The World Champion Memphis Redbirds!". Memphis Flyer. October 29, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2012. 
  12. ↑ Strauss, Joe (February 26, 2009). "Accident injury slows Freese: Third-base candidate has Achilles' tendon ailment after his car was totaled in January". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. D1. Retrieved February 4, 2012.  (subscription required)
  13. ↑ Leach, Matthew (March 20, 2009). "Freese tosses name in hat at third". MLB.com. Retrieved October 17, 2011. 
  14. ↑ Leach, Matthew (April 6, 2009). "Motte can't close door". MLB.com. Retrieved October 21, 2011. 
  15. ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals get Blaine Boyer from Atlanta Braves for Brian Barton". ESPN.com (ESPN). Associated Press. April 20, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2011. 
  16. ↑ "Carpenter Progresses Slowly". Belleville News-Democrat. April 22, 2009. p. 3D. Retrieved October 17, 2011.  (subscription required)
  17. ↑ Smith, Daren (September 6, 2009). "Redbirds end playoff drought: Doubleheader sweep clinches PCL division title". MLB.com. Retrieved February 4, 2012. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Strauss, Joe (February 25, 2011). "Freese uncertain for exhibition opener". Stltoday.com. Retrieved February 4, 2012. 
  19. ↑ Wilhelm, David (October 13, 2011). "Freese earning rave reviews for postseason performance — St. Louis Cardinals". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved October 22, 2011. "'I've been a top-hand guy my whole life, basically,' the right-handed-hitting Freese said. 'I rarely use strength in my left hand, which is what you really can do damage with. So that's what I'm working on—trying to use my left arm as strength.'" 
  20. ↑ Carpenter, Les (October 11, 2011). "Mark McGwire's Quiet Comeback". ThePostGame (Yahoo! Sports). Retrieved October 22, 2011. 
  21. ↑ "David Freese's 4 RBIs help Cardinals even series with Phillies". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011. "David Freese, shut down by Phillies aces the first three games, became a hometown star ...." 
  22. ↑ Gardner, Charles F. (October 16, 2011). "Freese wins NLCS MVP award". JSOnline (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Retrieved October 17, 2011. 
  23. ↑ Langosch, Jenifer (October 23, 2011). "Freese held hitless, ending club-record streak: Third baseman records knocks in 13 straight playoff games". MLB.com. Retrieved October 28, 2011. 
  24. ↑ "Freese powers Cardinals past Rangers". FOXSports.com. Associated Press. October 28, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011. "It was as great a game as the sport has ever witnessed, rivaling the Carlton Fisk homer in Game 6 of the 1975 Series and Bill Buckner's error in Game 6 of the 1986 Series. … This was just the third time that a team one out from elimination in the World Series came back to win the game, according to STATS LLC. … Freese had already written himself into St. Louis lore with [the] tying … triple." 
  25. ↑ In Game 6 of the World Series, Freese posted the best "win probability added" (WPA) in MLB postseason history, with a 0.969. "David Freese: now THAT was the best World Series performance in history". Baseball-Reference.com. October 28, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Verducci, Tom (February 13, 2012). "The New Man In St. Louis: Nobody, least of all David Freese, saw this coming: The World Series MVP is a hero in his hometown—and, after the departure of Albert Pujols, the Cardinals' cornerstone". Sports Illustrated. SI.com. Retrieved March 17, 2012. "One of the greatest months of postseason hitting was complete …" 
  27. ↑ "David Freese sets postseason RBI record, wins World Series MVP — MLB — Sporting News". Aol.sportingnews.com. October 28, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011. 
  28. ↑ See also: Run batted in#Postseason (single season).
  29. ↑ "Cardinals complete improbable run, win 11th World Series title". ESPN. Associated Press. Retrieved October 29, 2011. 
  30. ↑ "Hometown boy David Freese wins MVP". ESPN. Associated Press. October 29, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011. 
  31. ↑ "Freese sets postseason RBI record, named MVP". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. October 28, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011. 
  32. ↑ Goold, Derrick (November 7, 2011). "Freese to receive Babe Ruth Award as postseason MVP". stltoday.com (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  33. ↑ "Fans vote Freese onto All-Star roster". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 5, 2012. 
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Langosch, Jenifer (February 8, 2013). "Freese avoids arbitration, agrees to one-year deal". MLB.com via St. Louis Cardinals team website. Retrieved February 8, 2013. 
  35. ↑ Pouliot, Matthew (October 15, 2012). "There's no cooling off David Freese". Hardball Talk. Retrieved December 9, 2013. 
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "David Freese statistics and history". Retrieved December 9, 2103. 
  37. ↑ Langosch, Jenifer (May 18, 2013). "Cards hold on vs. Brewers after Freese's grand slam". MLB.com via St. Louis Cardinals official website. Retrieved May 18, 2013. 
  38. ↑ White, R.J. (June 12, 2013). "David Freese snaps 20-game hitting streak". CBS Sports.com. Retrieved June 13, 2013. 
  39. ↑ Langosch, Jenifer (August 16, 2013). "Wong joins Cards as Freese heads to bench: Second-base prospect pushes Carpenter to third base; platoon could develop". MLB.com. Retrieved August 16, 2013. 
  40. ↑ Langosch, Jenifer (November 22, 2013). "Cards get Bourjos from Angels for Freese". MLB.com. 
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 "Exciting times for family of David Freese". KSDK-TV via website. October 18, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2013. 
  42. ↑ "Cardinals' Freese faces DWI charge". ESPN.com (ESPN). Associated Press. December 14, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2011. 
  43. ↑ "Court documents: DWI arrest is not the first for Cardinals' David Freese". December 22, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2011. 
  44. ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese's DWI is violation of probation". KSDK.com (KSDK). December 22, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2011. 
  45. ↑ "David Freese unhurt in car accident". ESPN.com (ESPN). November 22, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2011. 
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 "David Freese to be next Imo's spokesman". KMOX-TV via website. June 10, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2013. 
  47. ↑ "A peek at David Freese's 'ultimate bachelor pad'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com. April 5, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2013. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Freese.
Active roster
Coaching staff
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.