Roger Freed

Infobox MLB retired
name=Roger Freed
position=Outfielder


bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date|1946|6|2
city-state|Los Angeles|California
deathdate=death date and age|1996|1|9|1946|6|2
city-state|Chino|California
debutdate=September 18
debutyear=by|1970
debutteam=Baltimore Orioles
finaldate=September 28
finalyear=by|1979
finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.245
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=22
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=109
teams=
*Baltimore Orioles (1970)
*Philadelphia Phillies (1971-72)
*Cincinnati Reds (1974)
*Montreal Expos (1976)
*St. Louis Cardinals (1977-79)
highlights=
*International League MVP, by|1970
*American Association MVP, by|1976

Roger Vernon Freed was a Major League Baseball outfielder and pinch hitter. He played all or part of eight seasons between by|1970 and by|1979 for five different major league teams.

Orioles

Freed was originally signed by the Baltimore Orioles in by|1966 and played in their farm system for five years. In 1970, he was voted the Most Valuable Player in the International League while playing for the Rochester Red Wings, earning his first major league call-up in September. Freed went 2-for-13 in four games with one RBI. Freed was thought of highly enough that offseason to be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for starting pitcher Grant Jackson and two other players,

Phillies

In by|1971, the Phillies installed Freed as their regular right fielder. Over the course of the season, however, he slowly saw less and less playing time, and he would up playing 100 games that season, batting .221. That would be the closest Freed ever came to being a major league regular.

Freed spent by|1972 coming off the bench as a pinch hitter. Freed did appear in more games in right field for the Phillies than anyone else, but his total was only 45 games as the Phillies rotated Tommy Hutton, Mike Anderson, Oscar Gamble and Bill Robinson through the position as well. That winter, the Phillies shipped Freed and Gamble off to the Cleveland Indians for another outfielder, Del Unser.

Back in the minors

Freed never played a game for the Indians, spending all of by|1973 in the minors. He was then traded to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Steve Blateric. He played in six games for the Reds in by|1974, and then had his contract sold to the Sultanes de Monterrey in the Mexican League.

He played in Mexico for all of by|1975, but resurfaced with the Montreal Expos in by|1976. Playing for the Denver Bears, he received his second minor league MVP award, this time in the American Association. Once again, a minor league MVP would earn Freed a September call-up, and Freed appeared in eight games in September for the Expos, going 3-for-15. At the end of the season, he was once again sent back to the minors, but in December he was rescued by the St. Louis Cardinals, who selected him in the rule 5 draft.

Cardinals

.400 -- almost

by|1977 proved to be a special year for Freed. Although he played in only 49 games, Freed became a popular player in St. Louis as he came through with a series of clutch pinch hits, and as the end of the season drew near he was in the rarified air of a batting average over .400.

On the last day of the season, his average was .402, and he could have sat on the bench that last day and kept his average above the magical mark. However, the Cardinals were down 6-3 against the New York Mets going in the 9th, and had put a rally together. A double by Mike Tyson, a walk by Mike Anderson, and a single by Mike Phillips had brought the Cardinals to within 6-4 with one out. The Mets removed pitcher Paul Siebert and replaced him with Rick Baldwin, and Baldwin was able to get Mike Potter to fly out. The Cardinals' pitcher, Al Hrabosky was due up, and Freed was called upon to pinch hit. Unfortunately, Freed grounded into a force play, and ended both the game and his chance at .400, winding up with an average of .398. [ [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1977/B10020SLN1977.htm Retrosheet Box Score, Mets vs. Cardinals, 10/2/1977] ]

Remaining career

Freed spent two more seasons with the Cardinals. In by|1978, he had 20 RBI in just 92 at bats, but his batting average had sunk to .239. After another disappointing season in by|1979, Freed was released during spring training in by|1980. He was signed to a minor league contract by the Phillies, but he never played in the major leagues again.

References

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