Tyler Freeman

Tyler Freeman

25-Year-Old OutfielderOF
Cleveland Guardians
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Freeman spent spring training auditioning to break camp as the Guardians starting shortstop or center fielder, winning the job as the latter. He played regularly for the first three months, posting a .631 OPS, then began losing playing time in July. Declining action escalated until Freeman was sent to Triple-A in mid-September. Freeman provided plus defense in center field, but after acquiring Lane Thomas and the emergence of Jhonkensy Noel, Freeman became an expendable spare part. His strikeout rate is excellent in the 93rd percentile, but Freeman's quality of contact is poor, and last season's 38 percent fly ball rate was ill timed with the dead baseball. Freeman is best suited as a reserve, able to play in the infield and outfield. There's some AL-only value there, but even if he garners multiple eligibility, Freeman doesn't make the mixed league cut. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a one-year contract with the Guardians in March of 2024.
Removed from ALDS roster
OFCleveland Guardians
Oblique
October 7, 2024
The Guardians removed Freeman from their ALDS roster Monday due to a strained left oblique.
ANALYSIS
Freeman suffered the injury during a recent simulated game. He will not be eligible for the ALCS, should the Guardians advance. Freeman could return for the World Series, although it's unclear whether he'll be healthy enough to do so. Angel Martinez will take over Freeman's spot on the active roster.
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Batting Stats
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2024
2023
2022
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
12
3
9
9
9
12
2
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
7
8
4
3
7
5
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+1%
OPS vs RHP
2024
 
 
+6%
OPS vs RHP
2023
 
 
+2%
OPS vs LHP
2022
 
 
+8%
OPS vs LHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022vs Left .628 246 28 6 20 5 .205 .298 .330
Since 2022vs Right .635 391 49 5 33 12 .235 .307 .328
2024vs Left .602 136 18 2 10 3 .184 .304 .298
2024vs Right .639 247 30 5 22 8 .222 .306 .333
2023vs Left .667 80 7 4 9 2 .216 .275 .392
2023vs Right .656 88 13 0 9 3 .266 .314 .342
2022vs Left .630 30 3 0 1 0 .259 .333 .296
2022vs Right .584 56 6 0 2 1 .240 .304 .280
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Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+5%
OPS at Home
2024
 
 
+2%
OPS on Road
2023
 
 
+16%
OPS at Home
2022
 
 
+26%
OPS at Home
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022Home .650 302 41 4 26 10 .237 .326 .324
Since 2022Away .617 335 36 7 27 7 .211 .284 .332
2024Home .621 170 24 3 17 7 .216 .304 .318
2024Away .631 213 24 4 15 4 .203 .307 .324
2023Home .713 78 13 1 7 3 .269 .355 .358
2023Away .617 90 7 3 11 2 .221 .244 .372
2022Home .650 54 4 0 2 0 .255 .352 .298
2022Away .517 32 5 0 1 1 .233 .250 .267
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Stat Review
How does Tyler Freeman compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.53
 
BB Rate
7.3%
 
K Rate
13.8%
 
BABIP
.227
 
ISO
.112
 
AVG
.209
 
OBP
.305
 
SLG
.321
 
OPS
.626
 
wOBA
.286
 
Exit Velocity
87.7 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
24.7%
 
Barrels/PA
2.3%
 
Expected BA
.236
 
Expected SLG
.338
 
Sprint Speed
25.4 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
45.2%
 
Line Drive %
16.8%
 
Fly Ball %
38.0%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Tyler Freeman See More
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86 days ago
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105 days ago
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109 days ago
Todd Zola provides some data to help you determine whether even Aaron Judge is capable of slugging your team into contention over the season's final stretch.
Weekly Hitter Rankings: Raise the Jolly Roger
112 days ago
Bryan Reynolds and the Pirates top Todd Zola’s hitter rankings for the week of September 2 to September 8.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Freeman faces a make-or-break season in 2024 -- his final option year. After debuting in 2022, he was called up in mid-April last season only to hurt his shoulder in his first game with the big club. He would end up missing time in the second half with soreness in the other shoulder. Around the IL stint, Freeman struggled to a .594 OPS in the second half. While he's shown decent bat-to-ball skills in the big leagues, the extra-base power has been lacking (.339 SLG). His baserunning is a positive, and his potential should at least keep him on fantasy watch lists. Once a well-regarded prospect, Freeman has essentially performed at a replacement level in 88 career games to date, according to FanGraphs' WAR. He's trying to make the roster this spring as a utility option for the Guardians.
Freeman made his major-league debut in 2022, logging a .247/.314/.286 slash line with three doubles, three RBI and a stolen base across 86 plate appearances. He was better with a .279/.371/.364 line in 72 games with Triple-A Columbus, but he added only six home runs and seven doubles there. A lack of over-the-fence power is a known issue, but he had no trouble racking up steals and doubles at the lower levels of the minors. His 7.8 percent walk rate at Triple-A was his best mark, and paired with a 9.3 percent strikeout rate, it's clear he's an effective contact hitter. He'll likely play the bulk of his age-24 campaign at Triple-A again -- perhaps a second season at the level will yield improved results, especially since the Guardians' infield looks pretty much set when the major-league roster is healthy.
It's not fair that Freeman missed over half the season with a left shoulder injury that ended up requiring surgery in August, and it's not fair that his dynasty stock has taken a subsequent hit, but that's the reality. He was once again a doubles machine (14 in 41 games) who sprayed lasers to all fields and logged an elite batting average (.323) with an elite strikeout rate (11.7%). However, his over-the-fence power and patience haven't improved yet in games, and he has grown less aggressive on the bases. Freeman hit two home runs with a 4.4 BB% and four steals on six attempts, and while he's still too young (turns 23 in May) to be considered a finished product, we can't say with any certainty that more power is coming or that he will be a 15-steal threat in the majors. A .300 hitter who scores around 90 runs and nets 25 HR+SB seems like a fair peak season to hope for, but his floor is closer to 15 HR+SB, and at that point, he wouldn't be a lock to get everyday playing time at second base. Andres Gimenez, Gabriel Arias and Owen Miller are more likely to get looks at the keystone this season, at least early on, but now that he is on the 40-man roster, Freeman could force his way into the mix in the second half.
True "sleepers" are rare in the prospect world these days, but Freeman qualified as such in each of the last couple seasons. That may change after he had a loud summer at the alternate site and started turning more of his doubles into home runs. He already had one of the best hit tools in the minors, putting on an all-fields laser show while hitting at least .292 and keeping his strikeout rate under 10.5 percent at all four of the MiLB levels he has played at. Freeman is a quick-twitch athlete with above-average speed that allowed him to steal 19 bases on 24 attempts in 2019. He probably doesn't have the arm to stick at shortstop, but considering Cleveland also lacks a long-term second baseman, there will be everyday at-bats available at one of the two middle-infield spots when he is ready for the majors. Freeman could open the year at Triple-A and debut this summer if he performs up to his standards.
It is as clear as ever that Freeman has one of the best hit tools in the minors. He logged LD% north of 24.0 and Oppo% of at least 33.3 at Low-A and High-A while striking out at a 9.7% clip. Freeman does not have a physical build (6-foot, 170 pounds), but he is a great athlete with strong wrists and good bat speed, which allows him to impact the baseball. He only has seven home runs in 231 games, but has banged 70 doubles in that span, and like with most young hitting prospects with good hit tools, power will be the last tool to show up. His above-average speed and good instincts led to 19 steals on just 24 attempts, which adds another layer to his long-term fantasy value. His arm is a better fit at second base, where he could be a plus defender. It's all about his bat though, and if he continues to hit as expected, he could be the Indians' leadoff hitter at some point in 2021.
One of the most underrated prospects in the minors, Freeman lacks loud power or elite speed, but is athletic, has a high baseball IQ, and most importantly, can flat out hit. The seventh-youngest hitter in the New York-Penn League, Freeman led the league in AVG (.352) and doubles (29), finished second in wRC+ (168) and logged a league-best 7.3 K%. He has a chance to stick at shortstop, and the furthest he would fall down the defensive spectrum would be to second base, where his defense could be plus. In addition to elite bat-to-ball ability, he uses the whole field (35.1 Oppo%) and hit .328/.398/.485 against same-handed pitching, so high batting averages should be bankable as he moves up the ladder. His speed grades out as above-average, and he has good instincts on the bases, so he should steal double-digit bases annually. Players of his ilk sometimes overshoot their fringe-average power projections, but he should be valuable in fantasy even if he never does.
More Fantasy News
Brought up for ALDS
OFCleveland Guardians
October 5, 2024
Freeman is included on the Guardians' roster for the ALDS versus Detroit.
ANALYSIS
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Headed to minors
OFCleveland Guardians
September 14, 2024
Freeman was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.
ANALYSIS
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Swipes bag off bench
OFCleveland Guardians
August 30, 2024
Freeman logged a stolen base as a pinch runner in Friday's 10-8 win over the Guardians.
ANALYSIS
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Heading to bench for early game
OFCleveland Guardians
August 7, 2024
Freeman is out of the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Diamondbacks.
ANALYSIS
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Records 10th steal
OFCleveland Guardians
July 30, 2024
Freeman went 2-for-2 with a double, a hit-by-pitch, a stolen base and one run scored in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Tigers.
ANALYSIS
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