Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman Adds Stolen Bases to Other Historic Totals

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman continued to make history Monday night.

The dark horse NL MVP contender went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs in the Dodgers' 8-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. The stolen base Freeman notched in the seventh inning was his 20th of the year, which put him in a couple of elite clubs.

According to MLB.com's Jason Catania, Freeman becomes the first player to reach 50 doubles and 20 stolen bases in a single season since Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts in 2009. There are now 19 seasons of the sort in American League/National League history, and Freeman's is the first ever by a first baseman.

Freddie Freeman is the first player to reach 50 doubles and 20 steals in a season since Brian Roberts did it in 2009.

It's only the 19th such season in AL/NL history - and the FIRST by a first baseman.
— Jason Catania (@JayCat11) September 19, 2023

On a similar note, Dodger Insider – the club's official blog and magazine – revealed that Freeman is the first first baseman in franchise history to post a 20-20 season with home runs and stolen bases.

Freddie Freeman has the first-ever 20-20 season by a Dodger first baseman — 20 steals to go along with his 26 homers.
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) September 19, 2023

Freeman is batting .335 with 26 home runs, 55 doubles, 93 RBI, a .983 OPS and a 6.3 WAR. If it weren't for his current teammate – Mookie Betts – and his former teammate – Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. – stealing the spotlight, Freeman's historic campaign would surely generate more awards buzz on the national level.

The 55 doubles Freeman has hit are already the most in Dodgers history and the 11th-most by any player since 1950. Freeman became the fourth player in baseball history to notch 25 home runs and 50 doubles before the month of September, and now he's reached a historic number of stolen bases a few weeks into the month.

Freeman is now the first first baseman in MLB history with 25-plus home runs, 50-plus doubles and 20-plus stolen bases in a single season, and only the fourth player overall to achieve the feat.

Freeman is a career .301 hitter with a .902 career OPS. He has 2,099 hits, 318 home runs, 469 doubles, 1,134 RBI, 1,210 runs, 86 stolen bases and a 55.5 WAR under his belt dating back to 2010.

In addition to winning NL MVP in 2020, Freeman has been named an All-Star seven times and won three Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove and a World Series title.

Freeman and the Dodgers return to action Tuesday against the Tigers, looking to extend their winning streak to five games. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET.

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