Glendale, Arizona. – It was a weekday recreation in late March, which era spring coaching normally ends, so the gang at Camelback Ranch was noticeably sparse for Freddy Freeman’s debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday afternoon. A “Fre-ddie!” Nonetheless, the chanting materialized, and it stuffed the Dodgers Spring Coaching Advanced with a sound that had been unique to the folks of Atlanta for the previous twelve years.
“Usually Dodger followers do not chant my title,” Freeman mentioned. “It was good.”
An Orange County product, Freeman went from torturing his hometown workforce to becoming a member of them on a six-year, $162 million contract that seemingly cemented the Dodgers as the game’s deadliest crime. Nonetheless, Freeman himself remains to be researching all of it. For the primary time since changing into a second-round starter by the Atlanta Braves in 2007, the 32-year-old first baseman learns new group, meets a wholly new group of teammates, adapts to a brand new set of coaches and sails by means of teaching. Al-Rubaie in a brand new state.
“It is simply new,” Freeman mentioned after lining up with a single in Reverse Area and occurring to look in two video games in opposition to the Cincinnati Reds.
As soon as he is right here, it is very easy — it is baseball,” mentioned Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts. “However there is a heavy coronary heart there, and there is a variety of emotions. You have been with a workforce for 15 years, so I nonetheless assume he is nonetheless making an attempt to scrutinize these emotions. However I do know he is completely happy to be right here, I do know the blokes are completely happy, and each day it will get just a little simpler. For him, I feel.”
Roberts has about six repetitions of his written lineup, however all embody hitting Freeman in both the second or third. The one query on the high appears to be whether or not Mookie Betts and Trea Turner will hit back-to-back or get separated by a left-handed hitter, as they’ve been on a stretch for the final yr with Corey Seager.
Freeman, who had eight relations within the stands on Tuesday, completed third for the overwhelming majority of his time with the Braves however advised Roberts he’d be comfy in second, too. At this level, what he wants is only a residency someplace within the squad, with just one recreation underneath his belt and opening day simply 16 days away. Freeman finds himself early within the fastballs and cracking balls, as is normally the case when he would not see sufficient of a straight shot.
In the long run, that shall be settled.
Finally, Freeman’s presence will make the Dodgers lineup much more intimidating than it has been in recent times.
“He appears good within the blue,” Dodgers’ Walker Boller mentioned after hitting 14 and 53 throws in his first follow of the spring. “I do not like throwing him, so I am glad he is on our workforce.”
