Nate Freiman and the 2012 WBC Qualifiers
Nate Freiman, who stands at 6-foot-8, made a name for himself during the 2012 World Baseball Classic qualifiers in Jupiter, Florida. During the qualifier, Freiman showed off his potential to hit the long ball, doing so in pairs.
During the first game of the qualifier against South Africa, Freiman overpowered the opposing team’s pitching staff. He hit two home runs, leading Team Israel to a 7–3 win.
After their four-run win over South Africa, Israel faced a stacked Spain team in a mid-day affair. Different opposition? No problem for Freiman. He continued his hot start with two more home runs against Spain.
The former Duke Blue Devil did not hit another home run in the team’s final game of the qualifier — a rematch with Spain that led to a defeat. However, the following season (2013) saw Freiman make his major-league debut with the Oakland Athletics, who had acquired him in the offseason from the San Diego Padres, slashing .274/.327/.389 over 208 plate appearances, along with four home runs, eight doubles, one triple and 24 runs batted in — going from attempting to advance to the World Baseball Classic to competing for an American League pennant in less than a year.
The “quiet giant,” as termed by Alon Leichman, who played with Freiman on the 2012 Israel WBC qualifying team, could not get it going in 2014, though. In 36 games played that season in the majors, he hit just .218/.269/.448 with five home runs and 15 runs batted in. He has not returned to the big leagues since, while bouncing around multiple organizations.
