No Spring Freese

Cardinal Nation David Freese is the real deal! The St. Louis Cardinals are picking up where they left off and Freese hasn’t cooled off yet. Coming off an MVP postseason run that many in the National League considered a fluke our hometown boy is proving them all wrong. He has stayed hot and is proving that he is a force to be reckoned with.

I’m pretty sure Mr. Freese won’t be sneaking up on any pitchers from this point forward. If he can stay healthy he may start to make his mark as a future star and not a flash in the pan. He has proven to be consistent when he has been healthy. In 691 career at-bats, including the postseason, Freese has 22 homers, 127 RBIs, a .311 batting average, a .367 on base percentage and a .470 slugging percentage. As I stated in previous posts I am excited to see what this guy can do with a full season of at bats. I hope he continues to improve defensively, but at the very least he is serviceable at the hot corner.

Apr 6, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese (23) bats against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE

Freese and the Cardinals find themselves in an interesting time in the National League. The marquee third basemen are mostly in their declining years. Scott Rolen, Chipper Jones, and Aramis Ramirez are playing their last games in the near future. Who’s left? The Met’s David Wright has long been a guy who should have been the next big thing but has been perpetually hampered by injuries. The young guns are now coming to the forefront. Guys like Freese, Pablo Sandoval, and Ryan Zimmerman are the new guard.

Freese has the support of his hometown fans and club. His late season heroics will never be forgotten, although some of his youthful transgressions may. He may be the face of this franchise in the near future. I would dare say his time with buddy Matt Holliday is paying off tremendously. He is learning from one of the most understated “good guys” in all of Major League Baseball.

It is unusual to see a young guy have such a great postseason and it translate to the next year. Freese was everywhere after the World Series. The demands on his time were incredible. I would have been surprised if you had told me that he would be performing at this level. I am amazed that he was able to keep his head and is now seemingly able to completely focus on the task at hand. He is putting in the time and work, not relying on his talent and prior performance to carry him through. I hope he can continue to remain as hot at the plate as he is now.

This team seems to be playing for each other and skipper Mike Matheny. I like the fact they are playing with a chip on their shoulder. They could easily roll over and say we can’t do it without number 5. When Chris Carpenter went down they could have packed it in and everyone would have been alright with the number of wins they could put together in spite of all of the setbacks they faced. Remember how miserable we were this time last year facing an entire year without Adam Wainwright? This club is fun to watch. It’s as if some of these “old guys” have found the fountain of youth. Lance Berkman has caused me a slight stroke at least twice already sacrificing his body running and sliding. My son couldn’t understand why I was yelling at the television when he was safe. It’s a long season boys. Take care of those bodies. I want another ring.

Freese is an integral part of the future of the Cardinals. I don’t know that I could have said (or typed) that a couple of months ago. I still have some concerns that he is a defensive liability at times. That will improve. I have no doubt that if healthy he will be a force to reckoned with. He can become the marquee player the organization may need him to be. This is a hometown guy who is playing for his team. He grew up a fan and is living every kid in Cardinal Nation’s dream. He gets to wear the birds on bat for 162 plus games a year. He has a lot to live up to and so far is doing a fantastic job of it. Mr. Freese please continue to set a good example by putting in the work and improving your craft and enjoying the game. This is going to be a lot of fun to watch for a long time.

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