Long-time Astros catcher Brad Ausmus had good things to say about Nate Freiman, the slugging first baseman the Astros drafted off the Padres roster with the No. 1 pick of the second round in Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft. (Houston took pitcher Josh Fields from Boston with the overall top pick).
Ausmus managed Freiman, who played for team Israel, during the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in September in Jupiter, Fla. Freiman hit .417 with four home runs and seven RBIs in three games before Israel was eliminated by Spain, 9-6. Four of his five hits were home runs.
“He’s a great guy,” Ausmus said. “He’s a good hitter with power. He has a short stroke for a big man. He’s the type of teammate everyone pulls for.”
Freiman, 25, hit.298 with 31 doubles, 24 homers, 105 RBIsand an .872 OPS in 137 games with Double-A San Antonio in 2012, earning both mid-season and post-season All-Star honors in the Texas League.
In 483 career Minor League games (462 as a first baseman), he has a .294 (551-for-1876) average with 131 doubles, 71 homers, 368 RBIs and a .364 on-base percentage. The 6-foot-7 right-handed hitter was originally drafted by the Padres in the eighth round of the June 2009 Draft out of Duke University.
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