David Freese

Who is David Freese?

David Richard Freese 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. He also set an MLB postseason record of 21 runs batted in, 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. 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.

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 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.