The first baseman, making his fifth start for the NL in the All-Star Game, has achieved icon status with two fan bases
ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman arrived in Atlanta as a pudgy 17-year-old.
It was 2007, and the highly touted first baseman had just been drafted 78th overall by the Braves out of a high school in Orange County, California. He was, at the time, just a gangly kid with a nice swing and big dreams, completely unfamiliar with the Peach State and its ballclub.
By the time he left Georgia 14 accomplished years later, he’d played in two stadiums and five All-Star Games.