CHICAGO — When Colin Moran's bat connected with Nate Jones' hanging slider, resulting in a two-run go-ahead home run in the ninth inning for the Pirates Wednesday afternoon, David Freese was standing next to Josh Harrison in the dugout. After Moran crossed home plate, he slapped hands with Elias Diaz before being mobbed by teammates at the dugout steps.
Then, he was congratulated by Freese. The two have worked side-by-side since the veteran reported to spring training in February, but Freese doesn't consider himself a mentor to the 25-year-old. Freese, now 35 and less than seven years removed from being named World Series MVP, asks Moran questions about hitting and the two study video together, sharing ideas and philosophies.
Like Moran, Freese, a full-time bench player for the first time in his 10-year major-league career, is still learning the nuances of a new role; however, he wants to use his experience to help one of the youngest rosters in the majors thrive in 2018.
"We kind of feed off each other," Freese said of him and Moran. "You want to come in here with your arms open ready to help, because there are a lot of guys who don’t have a lot of time. We have so many guys probably making the minimum or around the minimum that you want to be here for them. Guys do have questions."
Freese is the oldest player on the third-youngest roster in the National League, and he's equipped with 51 games of postseason experience, including a World Series ring with the Cardinals in 2011. He prepared himself for this role two years ago, though.
Freese signed with the Pirates in March 2016 to serve as a bench player and start at third base until Jung Ho Kang returned from knee surgery.
Freese started 71 games that season and earned a two-year contract extension through 2019. But he became the full-time starter again in 2017 when Kang was unable to return to the United States following a third DUI conviction in South Korea. Although Freese's offensive production dipped in the second half, he recorded 8 defensive runs saved — the fifth-highest mark among third basemen in the majors.
Despite batting .267/.360/392 over the past two seasons, Freese lost his starting job in January when the Pirates acquired Moran from the Astros in the Gerrit Cole trade. He expressed excitement with his new role upon arriving for spring training, yet there has been a learning curve.
He's batting .297 in nine starts during the Pirates' 21-16 start to the season, but he's only 1 for 9 as a pinch-hitter. Freese is still learning how to mentally prepare himself for those situations after starting 900 of his 1,016 career games, with only 80 career plate appearances as a pinch-hitter prior to this season.
"We’re all emotionally different," Freese said. "I think that’s the most important thing. We all need to be a certain way during a game to reach our potential day in and day out. Emotionally, that can affect us good and bad. I think that’s the main key to kind of plug in. Where do you need to be mentally as a role player, especially?"
He's also teaching, even if it's not on purpose. Freese was one of the top hitters in the minor leagues before he earned a spot on the Cardinals' opening day roster in 2009. He spent his early days in that clubhouse with his head down, eyes fixated in his locker stall. He didn't ask many questions to veterans such as Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina and Mark DeRosa.
Instead, he watched them on the field and listened to their advice. Cardinals third-base coach Jose Oquendo would demand his infielders have a deliberate pregame routine to prepare themselves for games. Freese, limited to only 87 games between 2009 and 2010 because of injury, couldn't always accomplish what Oquendo asked of him; however, he took note of how the coach wanted veterans to best use their time.
Freese slowly developed his own routine with Oquendo's instruction serving as a blueprint. He'll attempt both difficult and routine plays during ground-ball practice at PNC Park, much like a basketball player taking warmup shots from different areas of the court. Clint Hurdle described the approach as "infectious," saying the Pirates' other infielders adopted a similar approach upon Freese's arrival in 2016.
"He’s intentional with everything he does on the field," Hurdle said. "He works at ground balls. Have you ever watched Steph Curry’s warmup session? It’s intentional. There’s other guys that just shoot and there’s guys that work. There’s guys that take ground balls with good intentions and there's guys that take ground balls intentionally. Freese works to a sweat. He works to his left, he works to his right. He gets a few slow rollers. He makes different throws. He works at just about every movement. ... He really knows what he needs to be ready and to stay ready."
Moran has watched Freese closely since the two began working together at Pirate City and has adjusted his routine to resemble Freese's; however, the veteran reminds the rookie to not change too much. Freese learned the importance of selective learning throughout his time with the Cardinals and his two seasons with the Angels.
He admired Pujols' work ethic and Molina's competitiveness. Freese then marveled at how Mike Trout, only 22 at the time, would have a deliberate routine to sharpen himself without working to exhaustion. Moran has struggled at times defensively, but he's recorded 2 defensive runs saved — the fifth-highest mark among major-league third basemen — and he credits Freese's guidance for his improvement.
"I've learned so much from him," Moran said. "Defensively, I try to do like Dave does with a deliberate plan of what you’re trying to do. You don’t want to toe the line of doing too much and tiring yourself out over something that isn’t getting you better. You have to be very focused and deliberate."
Moran ranks first among National League rookies with at least 100 at-bats in batting average and on-base percentage, and he's hit safely in 19 of his last 27 games. Meanwhile, Freese has started only two games in the past two weeks. Hurdle, though, has enjoyed watching the former All-Star adapt to his new role.
"I think David is at a mature point personally and professionally, where he’s looking to add value to everything he touches, everything he’s a part of," Hurdle said. “That definitely helps."