Before he signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2022 MLB season, star first baseman Freddie Freeman spent 12 years with the Atlanta Braves. Drafted in the second round by Atlanta out of El Modena High School in Orange, California, Freeman made his debut in 2010. He quickly established himself as one of the premier first basemen in baseball, making his first All-Star appearance in 2013 and winning the MVP award with the Braves in 2020.
In his time with the Dodgers, Freeman has taken his game to another level. He has made the National League All-Star team in each of his first four seasons, earning two top-four MVP finishes, winning two World Series championships, including the World Series MVP award in 2024. A future Hall of Famer, there is debate around whether Freeman will enter Cooperstown with a Braves or Dodgers hat. But regardless, he is a legend for both franchises, and recently reached a big career milestone.
With his 550th career double, Freeman passed Braves legend Chipper Jones for 31st on MLB’s all-time doubles list.
Jones is a player Freeman looked up to during his time in Atlanta and was able to learn from. He reflected on that after passing the Hall of Fame third baseman.
"As I’ve gotten older, I do appreciate what I’ve been able to accomplish,” Freeman said (h/t Dodger Blue). “Hopefully I’ve got a lot more in my future, but 550 is definitely pretty cool.”
He also spoke on his relationship with Jones, revealing a message the Braves legend had for him in the past.
"I know he’ll tell me he’s still got me in homers," Freeman joked. "But yeah, Chipper has meant a lot to me. My approach and the inside line of the batter’s box, try to keep my hands through it, he’s the one that told me that. He told me to hit the ball through the wall, not over the wall. There’s a lot of things that I took from him when I first came up. He definitely meant a lot to me earlier in my career."
Freeman and the Dodgers are looking for the very rare three-straight World Series titles this season. The team got even better in the offseason, bringing in stars like Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz, bolstering a roster already considered a tier above the rest of MLB.