Mookie Betts called Freddie Freeman’s 2,500th career hit “awesome,” praising how inevitable the milestone has been after years of elite consistency. Freeman, the 102nd player in MLB history to reach 2,500 hits and the only active player to do so, has spent 17
Freddie Freeman has been one of the safest, most reliable bats in the middle of the order for so long that the milestones almost feel secondary. Still, when the Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman reached 2,500 hits in his career, the number landed like a verdict.
After the game, Mookie Betts didn’t try to make it bigger than it is. He just sounded grateful to witness it.
“Oh, it’s awesome,” Betts said. “I mean, he’s the first person I’ve seen accomplish something like that. So he’s been around for a while and he’s been really good for a while. So I think these things are coming up because because of that, you know, he’s so good for so long.”
That “for a while” matters. Freeman is in his 17th season in MLB, and with 2,500 hits he became the 102nd player in league history to reach the mark—and the only active player to do it.
Freeman’s path started in Atlanta with the Braves. where he built a reputation as one of the league’s most underrated first basemen. His biggest leap came in 2021, when he helped the Braves win their first World Series over the Houston Astros. Not long after. Freeman signed with the Dodgers. bringing championship experience and a swagger that helped accelerate a new era in Los Angeles.
With the Dodgers, Freeman didn’t just blend in—he became a cornerstone. He helped LA win two more titles, including a standout 2024 season that ended with him capturing his only World Series MVP award.
His résumé is loaded: nine All-Star selections, three championships, one World Series MVP, an MVP award in 2020, and three consecutive Silver Slugger awards from 2019 to 2021.
Now the conversation is shifting again, this time toward what comes next. With Freeman on the wrong side of 30, there are talks about his impending retirement. Freeman himself has hinted at potentially hanging up his cleats. Even with the milestone already in the books, his production this season is still at a great level.
So for the Dodgers, the focus is still forward—building toward LA’s quest for the elusive three-peat, and waiting until the end of the year to see what Freeman decides when the season closes.
Freddie Freeman Mookie Betts Los Angeles Dodgers MLB 2500 hits Atlanta Braves World Series MVP Silver Slugger 2024 World Series 2021 World Series