Freddie Freeman’s age-defying season has culminated in a National League Player of the Week Award.
Announced Monday, Freeman captured his 10th career NL Player of the Week Award, and his first since Aug. 6, 2023.
Freeman went 14-for-28 with three home runs, 12 RBIs, and a 1.500 OPS during the Dodgers’ road trip through Miami and Phoenix last week.
The 35-year-old first baseman is leading the National League in batting average (.376), slugging (.734), OPS (1.170), and OPS+ (228) in 30 games this season.
Freeman is second on the Dodgers in home runs (nine) and RBIs (33). He is effectively tied with Shohei Ohtani in FanGraphs’ version of Wins Above Replacement.
The Dodgers had reason to be unsure of Freeman’s performance at the outset of this season in light of the questions surrounding his health. Freeman essentially persevered through the 2024 postseason on one leg and a fractured rib.
Freeman underwent surgery in December 2024, consisting of debridement and the removal of loose bodies in his right ankle. He still undergoes about an hour and a half of treatment on his surgically repaired ankle before every game, with additional treatment following final out, according to MLB.com’s Sonja Chen.
Freeman spent 10 days on the injured list in April to give his ankle a break. Since returning, he’s been among the hottest hitters in baseball. From April 25 to May 9, Freeman recorded a hit in 14 consecutive games, which tied for the sixth-longest streak of his career. He also racked up nine multi-hit games during the stretch and now leads the Dodgers with 14 multi-hit games this year.
The pace Freeman established last week will be impossible to maintain. He led the majors in RBI and hits; tied for the MLB lead in batting average and total bases (28); ranked second in slugging and extra-base hits (7); ranked third in OPS (1.500); tied for fifth in runs; and tied for eighth in on-base percentage.
Yet at 35, Freeman is defying expectations for his follow-up season to his heroic performance last October.
“I can’t remember him being this good, for this long,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday, including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.
The Dodgers signed Freeman to a six-year, $162 million contract in March 2022. He has two years remaining at $27 million each season after this year.
