Freese rekindled love of ball back home in Missouri

David Freese, 3B, Angels
Hometown: Corpus Christi, Texas

Freese was the best high school shortstop in Missouri, but then he decided he didn't want play. Freese, who was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, but moved to the St. Louis area, had crushed 23 home runs as a high school senior in Wildwood, Mo.

However, he became burned out with baseball. Instead of accepting a scholarship to play at the University of Missouri, Freese decided to attend the school as just another student, computer science major and fraternity brother.

During the summer after his freshman year, though, Freese rediscovered the love he had lost for baseball during a trip back to his old high school. He wanted back in. So he started at Meramec Community College in St. Louis before going to the University of South Alabama to play.

Freese helped lead the Cardinals to a World Series championship in 2011 and was traded to the Angels this past offseason.