Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — First, he came back. Then, he gave back. Just a few months after returning to Southern California, Freddie Freeman is honoring the place that put him on the map, baseball-wise. El Modena High School in the city of Orange, Freeman’s alma mater, announced this week that the Dodgers’ star first baseman had pledged $50,000 toward the building of a new clubhouse for the baseball program.
According to an article published in the latest Dodgers Insider, the announcement was made at the latest school board meeting of the Orange Unified School District, which occurred on August 18, 2022.
El Modena head baseball coach Josh Kliner was at the meeting and said that everyone in attendance was “stunned” after the announcement.
“It’s awesome to see that the (high school baseball) experience was meaningful, and he looks back at it with fond memories and wants to make it better for the next generation that comes through. I don’t even have the words to describe it,” said Kliner, who was an assistant coach back in Freddie’s heyday at the school. “As a coach and a teacher, your job is to make an impact on lives, and hopefully our part in his life was a good memory to go back on. And he’s showing that by coming back and putting into the program.”
It’s not surprising that Freeman would have fond memories of his days at El Modena. After all, he batted .417 with five home runs, 21 RBIs and 10 stolen bases, and pitched to a 6-1 record with a 1.27 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 44 innings. For his remarkable two-way performance, Freeman was named the Orange County Register’s prep player of the year for the 2007 baseball season. Not long after that, he was drafted by the Braves and his distinguished professional career would be underway.
So yes, Freeman has fond memories of the baseball program at El Modena, but for him it goes far beyond that. Even before his days as a high schooler, Freeman witnessed the kindness of the El Modena coach when he stepped up during a family crisis. When the Freddie was 10 years, old, his mother, Rosemary, passed away after battling melanoma. At the time, Freeman’s brother, Andrew, was a baseball player at “ElMo” as it’s known.
“Steve Bernard (the El Modena head coach in those days) means a lot to our family,” Freeman said. “What we went through, he was so great to help my brother and so great to me while I was there. It’s more than just helping rebuild a clubhouse because El Modena means so much to me and my family that it’s more than that to us.”
These days, there’s a metal shed behind the home dugout that serves as a makeshift changing room for the players. Freeman, who often works out at the field during the off-season, felt the school needed a facility that would promote a positive atmosphere in which the El Modena players could thrive, both athletically and academically.
“My dad and I spent a lot of hours at that field,” Freeman said. “(We’re fortunate) to be in a position and have the resources to help build something where those kids can have a great four years.”
Since Freeman is busy with the Dodgers’ current season, Coach Kliner said his father, Fred Freeman, is working closely with the school district on the donation, and making sure that the high school gets the best facility possible.
In the best of all worlds, high school sports is an anchor that keeps boys and girls coming to school when they might otherwise tune out or drop out completely. Freeman is well aware of the impact that a new facility might have on a young student.
“Maybe you’re an incoming freshman and you haven’t really played baseball your whole life,” Freeman explained. “And you see what cool facility they have over there — maybe that piques a kid’s interest. And when you pique a kid’s interest, next thing you know they’re there at the school for a couple more hours. And then next thing you know they fall in love with it.”
Kind of like how LA has fallen in love with Freddie Freeman.
