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Texas Rangers second baseman Cody Freeman (39) hits a RBI single against the Houston Astros in the second inning at Daikin Park. Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

How Cody Freeman Validated Rangers Long-Term Investment in His Development

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 8:00 PM ET

Players like Cody Freeman don’t always make it to the Majors. The fourth-round pick in 2019 bypassed college to head to the pros right out of high school. He lost a full season in 2020 due to COVID-19’s shutdown of minor league baseball. Texas asked him to learn several positions in the minors.

But it’s all paid off. He’s in the Majors now and, based on his body of work, he should be a candidate for next year’s opening-day roster. He entered Saturday’s game with Miami with a .222/.255/.371 with three home runs and 12 RBI. He’s listed as a third baseman, but he’s been playing plenty of second base with Marcus Semien out. He can even play catcher.

It’s validation for Freeman, who was recently given the Tom Grieve Minor League Player of the Year award, even though he hasn’t been in the minors since Aug. 17. He did enough this season to earn the award over top prospect Sebastian Walcott.

Other Rangers minor league award winners included right-handed pitcher David Davalillo, who was named the Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year; right-handed pitcher Eric Loomis, who was named the Reliever of the Year; outfielder Yeremy Cabrera, who was named the Defender of the Year; and catcher/first baseman Cal Stark, who was named to the True Ranger Award.

Freeman’s Impressive Season

The @Rangers were down to their last strike.

But that didn't matter to Cody Freeman, who came through in the clutch and also homered in their extra-inning win: https://t.co/ZM5e7U7FgT pic.twitter.com/TXKAHs95HR
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 2, 2025

The 24-year-old built the groundwork for his call-up last year. His versatility and defensive prowess earned him the organization’s defender of the year award. That has paid off this season as he’s played games for the Rangers at third base and right field, along with second base.

After last season he was sent to the Arizona Fall League for more work at the plate and he responded by being named an AFL rising star at season’s end. It positioned him at Triple-A Round Rock to be ready for a call-up if the opportunity presented itself.

Texas selected his contract right after the All-Star break. He lasted a week and went back to Round Rock but returned less than a month later he was back after the Rangers were dealing with more injuries. He isn’t heading back to the minors this season and, if Freeman’s progress is any indication, he may not go back next year.

His Express numbers in 97 games included a .336 batting average, along with 19 home runs, 25 doubles, 71 RBI and a .931 OPS. When he left for the Majors, he was first in batting average, second in slugging percentage (.549), second in total bases (211), third in OPS and fourth in hits in the Pacific Coast League.

In the Rangers system, he led all players in hits, multi-hit games (39), multi-homer games (three) and was one of three prospects with a three-home run game.

Texas has a history of turning players like Freeman into valuable, multi-position players, such as Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran. Freeman’s progress proves the Rangers are just as capable of turning fourth-round picks into Major League talent as they are high-level prospects.

This article first appeared on Texas Rangers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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