DENVER -- The Rockies’ Tyler Freeman believes hatred of losing is an important step toward winning.
Freeman batted .281 in 110 games while mostly playing right field, designated hitter and second base after arriving in a late Spring Training trade with the Guardians for outfielder Nolan Jones in 2025. The performance earned him a one-year, $1.525 million contract to avoid arbitration in his first year of eligibility.
The Rockies’ 43-119 record, however, gave Freeman, 26, a healthy distaste for losing that he wants to spread to his teammates -- many of whom possess less Major League service time than him.
“What we implied to those young guys in helping their mindset was [that] it’s not OK that we were losing games,” Freeman said. “It was like, ‘We know you guys were rookies, and we’re teaching the right way to play. But next year -- this year coming up -- it’s go time. There’s not going to be that learning curve. We’re going to play Rockies baseball, and we’ll be ready to win some ballgames.'”
With Warren Schaeffer promoted to manager after serving in an interim capacity from May until the end of the season, along with a revamped coaching staff and front office, Freeman is eager to put a positive definition on “Rockies baseball.”
Last season, Freeman arrived eight days before the season opener and went through a tough transition. He missed four weeks with an oblique injury sustained in early April and was 2-for-17 through 10 games on May 19.
“A lot of people forget I’m human as well,” Freeman said. “Getting traded over for the first time, I’m going to have those nerves in the infield or in the outfield. But as time went on during the year, I got comfortable with the guys and felt like I could be myself again.”
A meeting with Schaeffer in June, in which the manager told Freeman he was moving from the bottom of the lineup to the top, helped Freeman’s confidence. After his slow start, Freeman batted .289 with a .729 OPS in his last 100 games.
“We were in Atlanta, and he told me, ‘You’re going to be moving up in the leadoff spot here soon, but I don’t want you to change at all -- be who you always are,’” Freeman said. “I remember that conversation, and I will always apply that to my game. Don’t try to be someone I’m not. That led me to success with this team.”
Where does he fit with the 2026 team?
How about wherever needed?
Freeman returns to a team that got much deeper this month with the acquisition of left-handed-hitting outfielder Jake McCarthy in a trade with the Diamondbacks and the two-year, $12.8 million contract agreement with switch-hitting infielder-outfielder Willi Castro, a 2024 All-Star who was with the Twins and Cubs last season.
“We really value his versatility and think that he can play in multiple spots,” Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said of Freeman. “We still see him as an outfielder. He’s a right-handed hitter, but he complements Jake and Mickey [Moniak], but we also see him as the guy who can play in the infield. He's played second, third and some short in the big leagues. He maybe even snuck in a game or two at first base at some point along the way.”
There are many ways to plug Freeman into the lineup. His next goal is to be more available. A recurrence of a 2024 oblique injury sidelined him early in the season. The difficult adjustment to the high-desert climate led to hamstring tightness, especially toward the end of lengthy homestands.
The goal this year is to apply what he learned and be a sounding board for players new to the rigors of playing in Denver, which require more brain than brawn.
“I can just say double up on everything in the training room,” Freeman said. “Whether it’s recovery or working on muscles with the trainers. If you’ve gotta do contrast, do it twice. If you’ve got to hydrate, double that.
“A lot of people think, ‘Work harder, lift heavier’ -- to be Mighty Man, I guess, lift the house. But working harder could be recovery stuff, the little postgame things.”
Freeman spent off-field time with veteran Kyle Farmer, who was serious about his role as a mentor -- even on his way out the door and into free agency.
“I learned a ton from him -- he was like, ‘You’re going to be a leader at some point, and that point may be soon,’” Freeman said. “Hopefully, I can take what I learned and take that to the next level.”