The Big St. Louis Freese?

David Freese (below), born April 28, 1983, began his circuitous route to the Major Leagues in the Padres’ organization. He was drafted by San Diego in the 9th round as the 273rd overall pick in 2006. Initially, scouts projected that the 6 foot 2 inch Freese would face an uphill battle to the big leagues.

Some background on Freese: He played at Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri. He started for four seasons on the Varsity squad, but clearly his senior year, in which Freese earned All-State honors, was his most productive. After his four years at Lafayette, Freese play baseball in his freshman year at Meramec Community College, hitting a stellar .396 while driving in 41 RBIs to go along with 10 home runs in just 46 games. As a sophomore, he transferred to South Alambama University, and following an entire season in which he was required to sit out, Freese hit .373 average as a junior. In the Padres’ farm system, he excelled, but Freese was traded to the Cardinals in return for former All-Star center fielder Jim Edmonds. The Corpus Christi native immediately found himself with St. Louis’ AAA affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds. Freese’s play earned him countless promotions to the Major Leagues, yet he could not sustain his success on the highest level in both 2008 and 2009. It was not until starting third baseman Troy Glaus departed to Atlanta in 2010 that Freese, then in spring training, looked prime to shine. With a vote of confidence from manager Tony LaRussa, Freese hit over .300 in both April and May of 2010. June, however, did not prove to be as auspicious. Freese hit just .234, before rolling his ankle. He was later placed on the 15 day disabled list, and Freese expects to return to the Cardinals’ starting lineup by the All-Star break.

My take: If the Cardinals look to keep pace with the surging Cincinnati Reds, David Freese must return to the lineup in his April and May form. He has a knack for hitting to the opposite field as well as driving in runs from the bottom of the order. For now, the Cardinals have a quick fix at third base with Felipe Lopez, but Freese’s presence in the batting order relieves much stress off of both Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols.

Down the road, Freese is a solid .300 hitter with average power. He looks to be a run producer for years to come in the Cardinals’ lineup. In comparison to a fellow major leaguer, I liken Freese to former Cardinals third baseman Scott Spiezo. Although Spiezo was a switch hitter, he consistently hit double digit home runs and drove in 60-70 runs each season. Freese, however, looks to have approximately 80-100 RBIs per season. Defensively, he is not a Gold Glover. With above average range and a decent arm, he makes all the necessary plays in the field. Just don’t expect the next Brooks Robinson to roam the hot corner in St. Louis.

-Justin Silberman