Freddie Freeman was a dual threat on the diamond as a star third baseman and star pitcher at El Modena High School in Orange, California.
He signed a letter of intent to play college ball for Cal State Fullerton but when the Atlanta Braves drafted him 78th overall in the second round of the 2007 MLB Draft, Freeman passed on the college experience to make his way up through the ranks of the Atlanta baseball organization.
Freeman excelled at every level of minor league ball and was eventually called up to the bigs in September of 2010 and never looked back. 
Now a four-time All-Star, a Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger award recipient, Freeman is one of the most consistent hitters in all of baseball. At just 31 years old he’s already reached 1,500 hits, is approaching 250 home runs and 900 RBI. A Hall of Famer? He certainly seems like a good bet, assuming he avoids an injury setback over the latter half of his career.
Freeman set the bar high in the Covid abbreviated 2020 season, hitting .341 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs while leading all of baseball with 23 doubles and 51 runs scored. He was voted by Baseball Digest as the MLB player of the year.
Below we list three tiers of some of our picks for the best Freddie Freeman prospect and rookie year cards, laid out in three tiers of significance and importance. Below that, we’ve got a live look at the most watched eBay auctions for Freeman cards.
MVP Candidate Tier
1. 2011 Topps Triple Threads #123 Freddie Freeman Bat AU RC #to 99
This card stands as Freeman’s only true rookie autograph. It features an on card autograph with three memorabilia pieces accompanied by the all important RC logo. While their limited nature means they don’t come up for sale that often, they’re not that expensive when they do.
2. 2011 Bowman Sterling #1 Freddie Freeman RC
Sterling is the jazzed up older brother to the Bowman Chrome brand. There is a circular image of what looks like a young Freeman leading off second base. Raw examples can be had for about the price of a nice dinner out. There are many parallels and variations and also subsets and inserts that offer Freeman autographs in this product.
You can check them out on eBay here.
3. 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft #205 Freddie Freeman AUTO
In recent years the first Bowman autograph has trumped the rookie card of a player in many cases. This is the first Bowman Auto for the Atlanta Braves slugger. Sadly, Freddie’s signature is now more of an “FF” but this is a really nice auto. Collectors will always come back to Bowman Draft when purchasing significant Freeman cards.
4. 2006 Topps AFLAC #FF Freddie Freeman
The first official appearance of Freddie Freeman on a baseball card was when Topps and Aflac teamed up to release a set of high school All-Stars back in 2006. The fresh faced Freeman is found in this particular set and carries a somewhat sizeable price tag in a 10 holder but otherwise isn’t expensive. There’s a promo version that has an action photo from a game.
All-Star Tier
1. 2011 Topps Chrome #173 Freddie Freeman RC
Topps Chrome is always one of the go-to rookie cards for collectors and this RC logo-branded offering is no different. The youngster is pictured at the plate ready to take a cut at the next pitch coming in. The general idea is that you can’t usually go wrong with an established, mainstream product like Chrome.
Parallels and Gem Mint cards will cost more but most examples remain inexpensive.
2. 2011 Bowman Chrome #185 Freddie Freeman RC
See above. Bowman Chrome products are as well known and widely accepted as any in the hobby. We’ve gone past the days of the Bowman Chrome rookie being a really huge deal but the graded population of this card is WAY less than Topps Chrome.
Considering the price, this one holds strong as a great choice for a lower to mid-level Freeman rookie card.
3. 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen #335 Freddie Freeman RC SP
The Gypsy Queen product is one that sends us back in the time machine and offers a design reminiscent of a turn of the century card. He has a “Future Stars” card in this set, too, but we’ll take this one–a very nice short print rookie that should hold up very well over time.
T-ball Practice Tier
1. 2011 Finest #72 Freddie Freeman RC
Finest is yet another brand that’s been around and stood the test of time as a go-to product. Through this line, Topps has always offered a shinier, flashier product and this year is no different. It’s a great looking card that’s definitely budget priced. Finest also offers a wide array of parallels, refractors and even autograph cards in this issue. There is something for every level of Freddie Freeman collector in 2011 Finest.
2. 2011 Topps #145 Freddie Freeman RC
The flagship of all flagships. There is no more recognized name than the time tested title of Topps. While there is obviously no shortage of the regular old Series 1, there’s no denying that the standard Topps rookie card is popular with collectors, both casual and die-hard.
Ungraded copies remain fairly inexpensive.
3. 2011 Bowman #205 Freddie Freeman RC
This is yet another well-known brand. The black borders make it somewhat difficult to land in a ’10’ grade but if you’re looking for a low-cost, raw rookie of Freddie Freeman, there are plenty available.
Related Stories:
