Freddie Freeman Is Aging Like Fine Wine
Now in his sixteenth year in MLB, Freeman is putting together arguably the best season of his career to begin his age-35 season.
On October 25, 2024, Freddie Freeman raised his bat in triumph.
Moments before, he stepped into the batter’s box in the bottom of the tenth inning during Game 1 of the 2024 World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers were trailing by one run with the bases loaded and two outs.
Freeman swung at the first pitch he saw, and he demolished it. The ball sailed 409 feet over the right field wall, and the crowd in Los Angeles erupted in thunderous applause.
His walk-off grand slam was the first in World Series history, and it would help propel the Dodgers to their eventual World Series victory. Freeman would homer in the next three games, taking home World Series MVP honors as a result of his historic performance.
Freeman’s tremendous accomplishments did not come without challenge, though.
Earlier in the year, Freeman’s son, Maximus, was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder that resulted in his hospitalization. Then, he sprained his ankle just before the postseason and dealt with broken rib cartilage on his left side.
It was reported that Freeman required hours of treatment before each postseason game in order to stay on the field. Despite this, he persevered and helped lead his team to victory.
Coming into 2025, it was difficult to project the kind of player Freeman would be moving forward.
After surgically repairing his ankle in the offseason, Freeman re-aggravated his ankle injury during spring training after slipping in the shower.
Now in his age-35 season, Freeman still requires a significant amount of ankle treatment prior to each game. Any yet, Freeman is having perhaps the finest year in his storied career.
All stats taken before play on May 20.
Defying the Odds
In 37 games played, Freeman is slashing .368/.426/.662 en route to a 1.088 OPS and 204 OPS+.
Both of these marks lead the National League and are second in all of baseball to Aaron Judge. Freeman’s batting run value ranks in the 98th percentile of MLB players this year, with his expected stats not falling far behind.
His .321 xBA (98th percentile), .417 xWOBA (96th percentile), and .595 xSLG (96th percentile) grade out among the most elite in the game.
Freeman has maintained a high exit velocity (89th percentile) and has squared up the ball often (90th percentile). He has also routinely hit the ball at an optimal launch angle (96th percentile).
While his baserunning has taken a hit due to his ankle injury, his defense still plays up. He ranks in the 86th percentile in OAA, with a fielding run value in the 76th percentile.
In order to meet these marks, Freeman has made some changes to his game that appear to be paying off.
Freeman has elevated the ball more, focusing on pulling the ball in the air. This is evidenced by his 40.4% pull percentage (his highest since 2019) and his 23.1% oppo percentage (his lowest since 2014).
He has also pulled the ball in the air 20% of the time, which would be his highest full-season mark since 2016. This stands in contrast with his typical gap-to-gap approach and has allowed him to hit home runs more frequently.
Freeman has a 20.0% home run to fly ball rate this year, up from 12.6% the year prior and 16.2% over his career.
These changes coincide with a slight change in plate approach. Freeman has struck out more and walked less, this likely coming from a slightly more aggressive approach.
Freeman is swinging 6.8% more often at the first pitch than the year prior, and he is seeing 3.67 pitches per plate appearance, down from 3.96 last year.
As a result of these factors and the work he has put in to remain on the field, Freeman is having a career year in his sixteenth season in MLB.
Playing the Long Game
Freeman has been remarkably consistent over the course of his career.
He put up 43.0 WAR in his twelve years with the Atlanta Braves, including a 138 OPS+ and a slash line of .295/.384/.509. He also hit 271 home runs, 367 doubles, and 1,704 hits overall.
In addition to his performance, he has been consistently available throughout his career. Freeman has played in 147 games or more in all but three years since his first full season in 2011.
One of these years was the shortened 2020 season, where Freeman played in all 60 games and won National League MVP honors.
Going into his contract with the Dodgers, it was understood that Freeman had entered the latter half of his career. Expectations were certainly high, but it was reasonable to expect that he may begin to slow down with age.
However, this has not been the case.
Freeman has not only maintained his level of play with the Dodgers, but he’s even elevated it. In his first three years in Los Angeles, Freeman averaged 5.9 WAR per season with a 154 OPS+ and a slash line of .314/.399/.520.
Somewhat surprisingly, he also stole 45 bases despite stealing just 53 during his entire tenure with Atlanta.
Now, in his age-35 season, Freeman is on pace for arguably the best year of his career.
While it’s only a 37-game sample, the numbers have been ridiculous. His 204 OPS+ would stand as the highest mark of his career. This includes the 187 OPS+ mark he earned during his 2020 MVP campaign where he achieved a 1.102 OPS.
He leads the National League in batting average, OPS, wOBA, and wRC+. He is second in on-base percentage behind Will Smith and second in slugging percentage behind Shohei Ohtani.
Freeman is sixth in WAR (2.3) despite playing in fewer games than each of those ahead of him.
Freeman’s start to the 2025 season has been exceptional by not only his own standards, but the whole of MLB.
Putting Freeman’s Start in Context
What Freeman has been able to accomplish this season is not only impressive, but potentially historic.
The numbers are remarkable in their own right, but they become even more so when you factor in his age. Among qualified players in their age-35 season, Freeman’s 195 wRC+ would be the highest mark since 1960.
When expanding the age range to include seasons for all players aged 35 or older, that mark is surpassed only by Barry Bonds’ legendary run from 2001-’04.
Freeman’s season would rank in the top ten for batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and wOBA.
It is still somewhat early in the year, and some regression to the mean is likely for Freeman. However, the significance of what he is doing right now should not go unnoticed.
Freeman has been a model of consistency throughout his career. Despite this, for a player to produce at such a high level this late into his career is unprecedented.
If Freeman is able to maintain his current pace through this year, it will go down as one of the greatest seasons ever for a player of his age.
While the aging curve eventually comes for all players, Freeman is certainly doing his best to defy this fate.
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