Getty
Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks out from the dugout.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are 34-20 and have looked strong on both offense and defense. They lead the league in on-base percentage at .344, have scored 279 runs and rank second in slugging percentage (.427) and third in batting average (.258).
And part of that team is veteran first baseman Freddie Freeman. He has been with the team since 2022 and has already won two World Series with them and is very close to completing 3000 hits. But the 36-year-old revealed that he isn’t very interested in achieving that.
“Ever since baby girl came into this world about a month ago, my perspective has changed a little bit on individual stats,” he said to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
He recently welcomed his first baby daughter, London Rosemary Joy, last month. She became the fourth addition in the family. A daughter always holds a special place in her dad’s heart. Freeman is experiencing all that. He regrets staying away from her, playing on the road.
“I’m missing things for something she’ll never know,” Freeman said. “I think everybody who knows me knows it weighs on me hard.”
Choosing between London and baseball has weighed heavily on the 36-year-old.
“All I ever wanted was a family,” he said. “But all I ever wanted to do was play baseball, too. It’s such a hard thing, it really is.”
Sometimes being away really gets to him. The loneliness gets difficult.
GettyFreddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on.
“I don’t like seeing my daughter grow up on a FaceTime call,” Freeman said. “When I’m sitting in a hotel room by myself at night after a game, I’m just like, ‘Oh man, what am I doing?’”
The thing is, by the time London reaches the age when she understands what baseball is, Freeman will have already retired. His sons love watching him play, but his daughter will not have many memories of that.
Freddie Freeman Talks About Retirement
Freeman hopes to play another four years, until he turns 40. At least that was the plan. But he will have to see whether he can continue playing while being away from his family. If his mental health worsens, he will not force himself to occupy a roster spot. For now, though, he has no plans to step away, thanks to Grandpa Ed.
“He was like, ‘You’re going to be the best dad, the best husband, for the next 50 years. You only have a few years of this left,’” Freeman said. “Then I was like, that makes a whole lot of sense.”
Ed had a major impact on Freeman’s career. He has famously thrown and shagged balls for his grandson during batting practice, even into his late 80s.
Freddie Freeman’s Present Health Condition
GettyFreddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts to his solo home run.
Despite turning 37 soon, he does not feel the effects.
“I feel good. My body feels good. We’ll see,” Freeman said.
His daughter could be the only thing that influences his decision. Whether he is willing to miss her first steps, his sons’ games, and other small moments when a child wants their father will determine how long he can continue swinging the bat.
Dibyendu Mondal Dibyendu Mondal is a contributor for Heavy Sports with special focus on golf, football, basketball and soccer. With more than two years of experience, he has managed to reach close to 7 million people through his writing. He previously worked as a contributor for Athlon Sports and Sportskeeda. More about Dibyendu Mondal
