The Cleveland Guardians have several young infielders with considerable talent.
Jose Ramirez, Andres Gimenez, and Josh Naylor are the established stars, but Brayan Rocchio, Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, and others are looking to find consistency and earn a place in the starting lineup.
Rocchio in particular is having a big winter, playing for Tiburones de La Guaira in Venezuela.
However, Freeman is making sure the organization keeps his name around when considering roster spots and part-time roles.
He is putting in the work to be a part of the team.
“#Guardians INF Tyler Freeman back home in Texas putting in work @roc_performance after attending #GuardsFest this past weekend,” Guardians Prospective tweeted.
#Guardians INF Tyler Freeman back home in Texas putting in work @roc_performance after attending #GuardsFest this past weekend.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/zvTOzAAFCt
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) January 23, 2024
The Guardians invested important draft resources in Freeman, taking him 41st overall in 2017.
The 24-year-old third baseman is hitting the weights in an effort to stay in shape and perhaps develop more power.
So far, Freeman has been unable to make a lasting impression in Cleveland, with a .243/.302/.339 line in parts of two seasons a a major leaguer (2022 and 2023).
However, his minor league performance suggests there is much more potential to be unlocked.
Freeman is not a power hitter, but he can hit close to .300 because of his contact skills, and can also get on base due to his good eye.
He is also sneaky fast.
In 24 Triple-A games in 2023, he hit a solid .319/.457/.462 with two homers and 10 stolen bases, showing what he can do in a best-case scenario.
It’s unlikely he reaches that kind of offensive prowess in the bigs, but he can be an above-average hitter at peak if he develops correctly and if the team is patient.
He will have to earn his way, though.
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