PHOENIX – Cody Freeman is part of the first generation of players who grew up watching the MLB Network, a definite Gen Z thing. On Tuesday, 15 games into his big league career, he ended up being interviewed on it.
“Kinda sick,” Freeman said shortly afterward, speaking in GenZese.
Right now, though, everybody wants a piece of Freeman, a compact 24-year-old who wasn’t on the Rangers’ 40-man roster until six weeks ago and who currently represents perhaps the closest thing to a logical explanation for the team’s sudden and dramatic turnaround. Or they want to feed off the energy infusion he provided ever since he stroked his first major league home run and then danced around the bases 10 days ago. Since then, the Rangers are 8-1, executing and laughing at a level unseen since the 2023 postseason run.
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In the stretch, Freeman was 6 for 15 with a pair of homers and two of the biggest hits of the team’s biggest road comeback win of the season. On Monday, his homer gave the Rangers life after three early Arizona homers put them in a big hole. His two-out, ninth-inning at-bat best demonstrated vividly that it’s not all about homers. With two strikes, he choked up, leaned over the plate and served a sinking sweeper on the outside corner into right field to drive home the tying run. When the swing was finished, Freeman appeared to be at a 45 degree angle with the ground.
“Just got his nose in there and doing everything he can to put the ball in play,” manager Bruce Bochy said after seeing a photo of the finish.
Freeman said he nearly tumbled over on the swing, then essentially skipped to first, turned to the dugout and found an enthusiastic response from his teammates. His energy – and execution – have had an impact on his teammates. Joc Pederson posted an image of Freeman’s exuberance at first base to his Instagram stories with the message: “Put em on ur back kidddddd.”
“He’s got a good attitude, he’s a gamer and does what it takes to get the job done,” Pederson said Tuesday. “He’s enthusiastic, energetic and a competitor. He plays the game the right way. He’s always smiling all the time, having fun and playing the game with joy. It brings the best version of everyone. We needed a spark and he’s provided it. We needed it, 1000% percent.”
Pretty high praise coming from the guy who was supposed to supply the team with more edginess after an all-too-blah 2024 season. But it hardly stops with Pederson. With playful grudgingness Rowdy Tellez, who only met Freeman during the week they spent together at Triple-A Round Rock in July, offered the kind of endorsement only a veteran could. He said: Freeman’s personality allows for the veteran to kid with him without worrying that they are hurting his sensitivities.
“He’s like the little brother you really don’t want to have to add to your team when you are playing pick up, but you know you need him,” Tellez said, then smiled. “He can handle it and he approaches every day is a good day in his eyes.”
And it didn’t stop there. The last question Freeman was asked by MLB Network host Greg Amsinger was who his favorite players were growing up. Amsinger noted that his answers would reveal a lot about him. Among those he cited were Rafael Furcal, who was playing for his hometown Dodgers, and Scott Rolen. And one more: Ian Kinsler. He later described the Rangers Hall of Famer as a fellow undersized, energetic second baseman who, like Freeman, wore his pants high. He’s gotten to talk with Kinsler, now a Rangers special assistant on several occasions, and, of course, calls it “pretty sick,” too.
It’s OK, Kinsler, more a millennial, feels the same way about Freeman.
“He plays the game with exactly the energy the club needs,” Kinsler said Tuesday. “He’s got that fight and sticks his chest out and that’s something this team needs. It’s really a pleasure to watch him. And I’m proud of the perseverance he’s shown, because it hasn’t always been a smooth or easy road. But it’s really fun to watch this team right now with him on it. There’s definitely something different.”
What’s different: Cody Freeman.
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