Father Time is undefeated. At some point, even professional athletes are forced to succumb to the inevitable.
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Freddie Freeman realizes that he is not immune to this. Like any MLB player, Freeman, who will turn 36 on September 12, simply hopes that he is able to walk away from the game on his terms.
“Obviously I’m 35 now. I’ll be 36 at the end of the year,” Freeman said in an interview with Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “So I’ve got less than a handful of years left. You do think about those type of things.”
And in Freeman’s terms, 2029 seems like the perfect time to call it quits.
“I have two years left on this contract (after 2025),” he said. “Then I would like to play two more years. I would turn 40 in September of 2029.”
Retiring at 40, after playing for parts of 20 MLB seasons. A couple of nice round numbers there.
“Round numbers are really cool,” said Freeman, who made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves on September 1, 2010.
Particularly those round numbers that symbolize longevity and consistency in the sport that Freeman loved during his childhood in the Anaheim, CA, suburb of Villa Park.
“As you’re a kid growing up, for me it was 500 home runs, 3,000 hits,” Freeman said. “Those were the numbers.”
Freddie Freeman Has Designs on Surpassing 3,000 Career Hits
Freeman has his eyes on those numbers, especially the hits total.
“It would mean a lot,” Freeman said of reaching 3,000, which would make him just the 34th player in MLB history to do it. “I’ve always valued hits. I know hits and average have dwindled in value in analytics and all that. But I value it.”
After going 1-for-4 in the Dodgers’ 9-3 win over the Athletics on Wednesday, Freeman has 2,309 hits in his career, and as a numbers nerd, Freeman has done the math. He knows that if he reaches at least 150 hits every season through 2029, he will surpass that magic total.
“Obviously … Father Time, you never know when that’s going to hit,” he said. “I’m trying to keep it away as long as I can. If I can have decent years this year and the next couple years, it’s an easier reach.”
Injuries would obviously hinder Freeman’s efforts, and although the 6-foot-4, 220-pound first baseman has been remarkably durable throughout his career, he was sidelined for 15 games last season, the most he has missed since a fractured wrist limited him to 117 games in 2017.
Certainly the most talked about injury of his from last season is the severely sprained ankle Freeman suffered in September, when he rolled over on it and tore some ligaments. Freeman would eventually have surgery on the ankle in November, but not until he famously fought through the ailment to be named the World Series MVP.
The injury has lingered into this season, and Freeman was forced to go on the 10-day injured list at the end of March after tweaking the ankle during a shower “mishap.” Freeman has had to undergo daily treatment on the ankle, lasting up to 90 minutes, just so he can stay in the lineup.
“I’m obviously not feeling 100%. But I am feeling good enough out there where I’m not thinking about it,” he said. “But I do have a lot that goes into each and every day to get on the field.”
Freddie Freeman Quietly Putting Together MVP-Caliber Season
Yet through it all, Freeman has gotten off to arguably the best start of his career. In 32 games, Freeman has posted a slash line of .362/.430/.698 with an OPS of 1.128, hitting 10 doubles and nine home runs with 33 RBIs.
Last week, Freeman went 14-for-28 with three home runs, 12 RBIs, and a 1.500 OPS as the Dodgers played three games at Miami and four at Arizona, and he was named the National League Player of the Week. It’s starting to spur discussion about the possibility of Freeman, who was named the NL Most Valuable Player in 2020, adding a second MVP trophy to his mantle.
“He’s just been relentless. He’s just taking good at-bats,” said Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts. “And I looked up the other day and saw he was hitting .360, I had no idea. But kind of, when you look into it, he’s just really – like I said, he’s just been relentless.”
And those awards are nice, but not as nice as hoisting the team title after the World Series.
“Winning is at the forefront for me,” Freeman said.
Although Freeman can be excused for giving himself a pat on the back if and when he gets to hit No. 3,000.
“He’ll get there. He will absolutely get there,” Roberts said. “There’s no doubt in my mind.”
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