Analyzing the Outcome of the Dodgers’ Biggest Position Battle

What Went Wrong?

The young second baseman left the Dodgers in Arizona to join the World Baseball Classic. While there, he injured his wrist sliding into second base. Although not serious, he did miss a little time. Manager Dave Roberts did admit that being at the WBC did hurt Kim’s chances of making the roster. It is hard to monitor the progression of at-bats. As Roberts said, “…the time away didn’t give him the chance to work on stuff they were working through.” This decision might be about Kim’s at-bat quality. The discipline it takes to swing at pitches in the strike zone and lay off the pitches out of it. Ironically, this sounds similar to what the Dodgers were saying last year coming out of spring training.

Los Angeles hopes that with the ability to play every day in the minors, Kim will continue to improve his hitting approach. They are going to need him at some point this season.

The Right-Handed Bat

The Dodgers ultimately chose the right-handed bat of Alex Freeland to begin the season at second base. Roberts has praised the youngster’s glove work. It has made Freeland one of the Dodgers’ top prospects for some time. He has also shown some offensive promise and power in the minors as well. In 2024, Freeland was tearing the cover off the ball in Double-A. In a month’s time, Freeland was hitting for a .346 batting average. The Dodgers must think that he has a chance to replicate that at the major league level. It certainly doesn’t show in his spring training batting average of .116. Freeland has more ability to hit for power if he can put it all together. In addition, Freeland’s ability to differentiate balls and strikes is in his favor as well.

Los Angeles should have enough firepower in the lineup to carry Freeland’s bat for a while, as long as he doesn’t forget to bring his glove to the party. Whatever happens in the near future, the Dodgers have been rewarded for the wisdom of their decisions in the past. Winning proves it.