Raphael Deseption "Choo" Freeman (born October 20, 1979) is a retired

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Career

Freeman played

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in high school, setting a state record by catching 50

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...

s for

Dallas Christian High School Dallas Christian School is a private, preparatory Christian day school for boys and girls located in Mesquite, Texas. The school offers classes for students ranging from pre-kindergarten through the twelfth grade. Dallas Christian School is a me ...

Mesquite, Texas Mesquite is a suburban city located east of the city of Dallas, Texas, in the United States. Most of the city is located in Dallas County, though a small portion extends into Kaufman County. As of 2019 census estimates, the population was ...

, and being selected three times to the all-state team. In his overall athletic career at Dallas Christian, he helped the school win six state championships in various sports and signed with Texas A&M to play football, but chose

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

when he selected by the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

in the first round of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft. Freeman spent four years making his way through various entry level Single-A minor league affiliates of the Rockies, even being selected as the Rockies top prospect by '' Baseball America'' in , before getting promoted to the Double-A Carolina Mudcats in . With Carolina, he hit .291 with 12

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

s and 15 stolen bases and was selected as a "Southern League" All-Star causing his stock to rise in the organization. In , he found himself starting in center field for the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rocki ...

, the Rockies Triple-A affiliate, a position he would retain for most of the next couple of seasons. His best season with the Sky Sox was in where he hit .297 with 10 home runs and 50

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. He made his major league debut with the Rockies on June 4, 2004, against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, American ...

. He got his first two major league hits the next day in his first start for the Rockies, also against the Giants. However, he hit only .189 that season and wound up back with the Sky Sox in . After hitting .280 with the Sky Sox in 2005, Freeman rejoined the Rockies for limited action in September before making the team full-time for the season as a reserve outfielder. He hit .237 in the 88 games he played in during the 2006 season. On February 2, 2007, Freeman was released by the Rockies. On February 14, 2007, he signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

, but he failed to make the major league roster out of

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

and was reassigned to the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas 51s. He hit .270 in 121 games with the 51s and knocked in 48 runs becoming a free agent after the season ended.

Personal life

Freeman is a cousin of

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

Gold Glove right fielder Torii Hunter. He married Jamie Freeman in 2010. In 2008 the couple had a daughter named Zailey.Scout.com: Choo Freeman Signed to Minor Contract
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Choo 1979 births Living people Major League Baseball center fielders Colorado Rockies players Baseball players from Arkansas African-American baseball players Sportspeople from Pine Bluff, Arkansas Arizona League Rockies players Asheville Tourists players Salem Avalanche players Carolina Mudcats players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Las Vegas 51s players Texas A&M University alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople