Alex Freeland Disagrees With Spring Training Narrative

The Los Angeles Dodgers made a somewhat surprising decision by choosing to include Alex Freeland on their Opening Day roster instead of Hyeseong Kim.

"It means everything. I think I've dreamed of this since I was a little kid, to be on an Opening Day roster, playing Major League Baseball," Freeland said on SportsNet LA when asked about receiving the nod. "I just feel super blessed.

"When Doc told me, I got the chills. Like I said, I've been dreaming of this since I was four years old. I just feel blessed."

Alex Freeland comments on Spring Training struggles

Freeland nor Kim fully ran away with the opportunity to be part of the platoon at second base, and the Dodgers ultimately preferred to have Kim make everyday starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

But their decision sparked immediate criticism because of Freeland's .116 batting average in Cactus League play. The Dodgers look beyond just that statistic, and so too does the 24-year-old.

"You could definitely look at Spring Training and look at the stats and say, 'He had a terrible Spring Training.' But in my eyes, I worked on certain things and I achieved certain goals, so I feel comfortable with how Spring Training went," Freeland explained.

"Obviously it wasn't to my standards or anything like that, but there's good in there. It's not just looking at batting average and saying, 'Oh, that's a terrible spring.'"

Comparatively, Kim was 9-for-13 with a 1.154 on-base plus slugging percentage, one home run and five RBI across five Cactus League games before leaving to play in the World Baseball Classic. After returning to the Dodgers lineup, Kim went on a five-game hitting streak while also adding three stolen bases.

Freeland helped offset his low batting average by drawing 11 walks. And though he struck out 11 times before the Dodgers broke camp, that was still fewer than Kim's 14.

Freeland went hitless in the Dodgers' win on Sunday night but worked two walks and scored a run.

The Dodgers are planning for him to start at second base against right-handed pitching, and Freeland believes having made his MLB debut last season will prove beneficial in 2026.

"I think just being there experiencing it, makes me feel comfortable to be around the guys and know what my role is," he said. "I think I grew up a lot this offseason and taking in what I learned from last year. I feel like I'm uber prepared.

"The game sped up a little bit, and you can get away from what you do good. I think that's what happened."