Ryan Freel

Infobox MLB player


width = 300px
name = Ryan Freel
team = Cincinnati Reds
number = 6
position = Utility player
birthdate = birth date and age|1976|3|8
birthplace = city-state|Jacksonville|Florida
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = April 4
debutyear = 2001
debutteam = Toronto Blue Jays
statyear = 2007
stat1label = Batting average
stat1value = .270
stat2label = Home runs
stat2value = 22
stat3label = Runs batted in
stat3value = 107
stat4label = Stolen bases
stat4value = 136
teams =
*Toronto Blue Jays (by|2001)
*Cincinnati Reds (by|2003-present)

Ryan Paul Freel (born March 8, 1976 in Jacksonville, Florida) is a professional baseball player who plays Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds in the National League. Freel plays second base, third base, and all three outfield positions.

MLB career

Freel attended Tallahassee Community College and was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1994 amateur entry draft, but did not sign. A year later, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 10th round of the 1995 amateur draft. Freel played 6 seasons in the Toronto minor league system before making his Major League debut on April 4, 2001. He only played in 9 games for the Blue Jays in his rookie year, hitting .273 with 0 home runs, 3 RBI and 2 stolen bases. After the season was over, Freel was granted free agency and signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Freel played the entire 2002 season in the minor leagues with the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of the Devil Rays. He hit .261 with 8 home runs, 48 RBIs, 37 steals. On November 18, 2002, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds as a free agent.

In five seasons with the Reds, Freel is hitting .270 with 22 home runs, 104 runs batted in, and 134 stolen bases. His best season for the Reds was 2004, when he hit .277 with 3 home runs, 28 RBI, 37 stolen bases, and 74 runs scored in 143 games. He recently signed a two-year, $3 million contract extension with the Reds and is signed through 2009.

Farney

Freel gained some notoriety in August of 2006 when "The Dayton Daily News" reported that Freel talks to an imaginary voice in his head named Farney. [ [http://sportsline.com/columns/story/9596332 Sportsline.com] ] Said Freel: "He's a little guy who lives in my head who talks to me and I talk to him. That little midget in my head said, 'That was a great catch, Ryan,' I said, 'Hey, Farney, I don't know if that was you who really caught that ball, but that was pretty good if it was.' Everybody thinks I talk to myself, so I tell 'em I'm talking to Farney." [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/baseball/20060813-9999-1s13bbhorn.html SignOnSanDiego.com > Sports - With Freel, Reds have four in outfield ] ] Freel later said that Farney's name arose from a conversation with Reds trainer Mark Mann: "He actually made a comment like, 'How are the voices in your head?' We'd play around and finally this year he said, 'What's the guy's name?' I said, 'Let's call him Farney.' So now everybody's like, 'Run, Farney, run' or 'Let Farney hit today. You're not hitting very well.'" [ [http://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=5417&sessionstatus=notloggedin&mode=login Baseball Prospectus | Articles | The Week In Quotes: August 7-13 ] ]

Collision

On May 28, 2007, Freel was injured in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates when chasing a deep drive to right-center field. Freel and right fielder Norris Hopper collided, resulting in Freel's head and neck hitting Hopper and finally the warning track. He was transported by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was reported to be coherent with feeling in his extremities. Freel began working out on June 15, about 2 weeks after the collision. He was briefly sent to the AAA Louisville Bats for rehabilitation. Freel began getting random headaches and pains in his head, which delayed Freel's return for another 2 weeks. On July 3, 2007, 1 month and 5 days after the accident, Freel returned to play for the Cincinnati Reds and was healthy until being placed on the 15-day DL with torn cartilage in his right knee on August 7.cite news |first=Mark |last=Sheldon |title=Freel exits on stretcher after collision |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070528&content_id=1990685&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |work=MLB.com |date=2007-05-28 |accessdate=2007-05-28]

Off-the-field issues

Freel has twice been arrested for driving under the influence. [cite web |url=http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060108&content_id=1292711&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin|title=Freel arrested for disorderly intoxication|accessdate=2008-09-07 |work=MLB.com |publisher= |date= ] He paid a fine after the first incident, and charges were dropped for the second. [cite web |url=http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060124&content_id=1300036&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin|title=Notes: Beattie eyeing GM position|accessdate=2008-09-07 |work=MLB.com |publisher= |date= ]

couting Report

Freel is known for versatility in the field, playing all three outfield positions, second base, and third base; Freel is also known for making many acrobatic plays. He is a threat on the basepaths, totaling 110 stolen bases in the past three years (37 in 2004, 36 in 2005, and 37 in 2006). He does not hit for power (hitting only 22 home runs in his career) but does get on base, with a career .358 on-base percentage, and has scored 278 runs in 505 career games.

References

External links