page_title: David Freese
section_title: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
hierarchical_section_title: David Freese / Professional career / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
caption_attribution_description: David Freese
context_page_description: David Richard Freese is an American former professional baseball corner infielder in Major League Baseball. He began his MLB career with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he was a key player during the 2011 postseason, batting .545 with 12 hits in the 2011 National League Championship Series. He also set an MLB postseason record of 21 runs batted in, earning the NLCS MVP Award and World Series MVP Award. In addition, Freese won the Babe Ruth Award, naming him the MVP of the 2011 MLB postseason. He also played for the Los Angeles Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers.
  A star high school player, Freese declined a college baseball scholarship from the University of Missouri. Needing a break from baseball, he sat out his freshman year of college before feeling a renewed urge to play the game. He transferred to St. Louis Community College–Meramec, a junior college, where he played for one season before transferring to the University of South Alabama. The San Diego Padres selected Freese in the ninth round of the 2006 MLB draft.
  The Cardinals acquired Freese before the 2008 season. He made his MLB debut on Opening Day 2009 due to an injury to starting third baseman Troy Glaus.
context_section_description: After the 2013 season, the Cardinals traded Freese and Fernando Salas to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk. Again eligible for salary arbitration for the 2014 season, Freese filed for a $6 million salary while the Angels countered with $4.1 million; they settled on a $5.05 million salary. Freese had a slow start, ending May with a .203 batting average, and improved from June through August, batting .292 in those months.  He hit a home run against the Kansas City Royals in the first game of the 2014 American League Division Series for his 24th postseason extra-base hit and 30th RBI.
  In his last year of arbitration before becoming eligible for free agency, Freese requested a $7.6 million salary for the 2015 season, while the Angels proposed $5.25 million. The two sides avoided arbitration by agreeing on a $6.425 million salary. Freese entered the 2015 season as the Angels everyday third baseman, and hit .240 with 11 home runs and 43 RBIs in 90 games. He broke his right index finger when it was hit by a pitch on July 22, and went on the disabled list.
caption: Freese batting for the Angels on September 8, 2014
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