Robert Baratta

Freddie Freeman says his 69 year old dad still throws him batting practice everyday because he believes not everything has to be about getting better, and says the hour they spend together is worth more than any amount of reps with a real pitcher or coach “When people ask me, ‘What advice do you have for my 10-year-old?’ I say, ‘It’s not for the 10-year-old. It’s for you, the parent.’ My dad loved practicing and throwing batting practice and doing those kinds of things with me every single day. When you have a parent that loves it just as much as I loved it, it’s kind of a match made in heaven.” “My dad was the one that led me to baseball, and then obviously I just loved it. He was fueling that fire. He still throws me batting practice to this day. In the offseason, I’ll take about two months off baseball activities. Then in January I’ll go to my high school in Orange County, and we’ll spend an hour together. I work out with him and he throws me batting practice.” “He’s 69 years old and he still throws. The last two years he goes, ‘Freddie, I’m not very good anymore.’ And I said, ‘Dad, that’s not the thing. It’s not about that. It’s about the hour we spend together.’” “I’ll figure it out in spring training. I hit every day there. I just want to hit with you. This is our thing. He thinks he’s not very good, but I think he’s great.”