When the Dodgers acquired (now) 36-year-old / 11-year MLB veteran utility infielder David Freese from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the (then) August 31, 2018 non-waiver trade deadline in exchange for minor league infielder Jesus Valdez, they knew exactly what they were getting as far as his baseball skills and versatility between the lines. After all, at the time the former All-Star and 2011 World Series MVP owned a respectable .282 / .336 / .444 / .780 career slash-line that included 182 doubles, five triples, 100 home runs, and 497 RBI; not Hall of Fame numbers, but definitely respectable. He also owned an impressive career .967 fielding percentage, having played every infield position (including catcher) except for pitching.

Versatile indeed.

During his time with the Dodgers, Freese slashed an outstanding .328 / .421 / .607 / 1.028 that included 15 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, and 38 RBI in the combined 98 games (233 plate appearances) in which he appeared.

On Saturday afternoon, a mere three days after he and his Dodger teammates were eliminated from postseason play by the Washington Nationals and, as noted, after 11 major league seasons, the extremely popular Corpus Christi, TX native and ninth-round draft pick in 2006 by the San Diego Padres out of the University of South Alabama in Mobile officially announced that he was retiring from the game via this statement on Twitter:

But David was not only a solid all-around baseball player and great teammate, he also had a tremendous self-deprecating sense of humor that endeared him with everyone, including and especially SportsNet LA’s Alanna Rizzo.

Through the miracle of video editing (and Twitter), here is a hilarious compilation of short interviews of Freese by Rizzo during his two seasons in LA that every Dodger fan must see:

The entire staff at ThinkBlue LA wishes nothing but the very best to David and his family in his retirement.

…and thanks for the laughs.

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