Watching Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman make baseball history with his incredible MVP hitting display in the World Series brought back the memories for Prince George native Jared Young.
In March 2023, Young and Freeman were teammates playing for Canada in the World Baseball Classic.
“That was amazing, he was absolutely the star of that team and carried himself in a great way, he was super-humble and a good dude – he’s a really down-to-earth guy,” said Young.
Seeing Freeman on the practice field in Arizona was an eyeopener for Young and the rest of the Canadian squad.
“If you watched his practice and his work, he had it down to a science, what he was doing, and it wasn’t a lot,” said Young. “Everything he did was for a purpose and he was very good at it.
“I was super-lucky to play with him. If you watch him, you can take stuff from it. He’s one of the best players in baseball and he chose to play for Canada and I think that means a lot. When you get a hall of famer and MVP who wants to play for Canada that’s pretty special.”
Freeman almost single-handedly destroyed the New York Yankees and ended their title hopes in the five-game series.
In Game 1 with the Dodgers trailing and down to their final out he hit a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning. He went deep again in the next three games to tie the MLB record for consecutive home runs in a single World Series, picking up where he left off as an Atlanta Brave when he homered in the final two games of the 2021 World Series.
Freeman was at it again in the fifth inning of Game 5 on Wednesday, clubbing a two-out, two-run single that keyed the Dodgers’ comeback from a five-run deficit in what ended up a trophy-clinching 7-6 victory. That hit, his 12th RBI of the series, also tied a World Series record.
Freeman has done it all in a 15-year career that started with the Braves. He’s an eight time all-star who was chosen as National League MVP in 2020. He’s also a Gold Glover and Silver Slugger destined for the Hall of Fame once he retires.
“Freddie played amazing, he carried the team basically the whole series,” said Young. “His rap sheet kind of speaks for itself, he’s one of the best players in baseball.”
Despite all his accolades and achievements Freeman is also incredibly humble and in a poll of MLB players this year he was voted the friendliest infielder to chat with on the bases.
Freeman was picked to play for Team USA in the 2019 and 2023 World Baseball Classic tournaments but his parents were both from Canada. He chose to wear the maple leaf in honour of his late mother, a native of Peterborough, Ont, who died of skin cancer when he was 10.
That couple weeks Young spent with Freeman preparing for the tournament games in Phoenix made a huge impression on Young, who at the time was with the Chicago Cubs’ triple-A farm team in Iowa.
“I played with (Freeman) first and then I got called up (to Chicago) later that year and played with Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellanger, who played with him as well, and they were like, ‘What was it like playing with Freddie?’ because he doesn’t do a lot in practice, but everything he does is perfect,” said Young, who played in the WBC at left field and as designated hitter.
“They just asked me what I thought and I just said, ‘it’s pretty crazy’ and they said, “Yeah, it’s crazy.’ Hearing that from other great players, it was like wow. They think of him as a great player, and that was something cool. Every time I watch him I think the same thing; everyone thinks he’s the best.
“He’s super-good and he’s doing it every time, and the true test of a really good player is consistency. In his career he’s won every award except for rookie of the year, so that’s a testament to being really consistent.”
After Canada beat Great Britain they came up against the powerful Americans in a sold-out Chase Field in Phoenix. Canada was trailing 9-0 when Young started off the second inning with a towering home run. It was the only run of the game for Canada in a 12-1 loss.
“The major leagues and the World Baseball Classic is playing the best against the best and that’s when you really want to shine,” said Young.
“That was sweet. My whole family was down there to watch, so that was cool, and had some friends from (Prince George) that also went to the game. It was an awesome moment, it’s a while ago now. But definitely, watching Freddie crank homers it definitely brings up some memories.”
Positive Korean experience behind him, Young waits for next assignment
After seven years in the Cubs organization, Young was claimed Nov. 6, 2023 in the waiver draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and played 74 games this year for the triple-A Memphis Redbirds. Released on July 30, he signed as a free agent and went to Korea to play in the Korean Baseball Organization for the Doosan Bears and was an immediate hit with the fans in Seoul. In his second game he hit two home runs and drove in eight runs while going 5-for-6 at the plate.
In 38 games with the Bears he hit .326 with 10 home runs
“For me it was super-different but it was also very positive,” said Young, from his home in Scottsdale, Ariz. “The people are great, the baseball was awesome and the fans were amazing. They treat it like European soccer if you want to compare it to another fan base – very passionate and very loud, from the first pitch to the last pitch and that is something that was really cool.
“Flying across the world and changing teams in the middle of the year, it was all new, and I wanted to get off to hot start but I wanted to make sure I didn’t press. To get some hits early and contribute felt really good it made me feel like part of the team. Everyone knows switching teams isn’t easy but the way to make it the best is to play well.”
The Bears climbed in the standings with Young in the lineup and made the playoffs, finishing fourth, but were eliminated in the first playoff round.
“That was a bummer, we were the higher seed and lost, but it’s a ton to learn from,” he said.
“The team was good, and I think even individually, going to Korea and having some success and playing some playoff baseball, I think you can only learn and get better from it.”
As one of only three imports on the team, the language barrier was also a hindrance to Young, trying to communicate with coaches and teammates, but his interpreter, Wu Yun ‘Alberto’ Choi, was by his side constantly.
“He’s a great guy, he was literally attached to my hip from the time I got to the field until I would leave, and it was a lot on him, just because I couldn’t talk to anybody,” he said.
Young lived in the Gangnam District in downtown Seoul, a city of 10 million.
“It’s an electric place because of all the people and it was a lot of fun,” Young said.
Young, 29, is now a free agent and doesn’t know where he’ll end up playing, but he certainly would return to Korea if the right offer is made.
“I would love to go back, but there’s lot of stuff to iron out,” he said. “I feel like I still have a lot left in me. I’m still loving it, I’m still really enjoying everything that I do. I feel like every year I’m just getting going.”
