ESPN insider has hyper-specific prediction for top Dodgers shortstop prospect

The Dodgers still don't fully know what's going on with their second base situation. With the Gavin Lux trade getting further away in the rearview mirror and Hyeseong Kim's future still up in the air, there's no straightforward answer. There are workarounds and stopgaps — Kiké Hernández and Tommy Edman going back and forth between center field (also undecided) and second while Kim tunes up in the minors — but it's surely not what the Dodgers wanted when they sacrificed Lux for Kim.

Although there's very little room Dodgers prospects or NRIs to break the 26-man Opening Day roster, they're probably going to need to find a little time for the top prospects, especially those in Triple-A and due for a debut, to get a decent shake at the majors.

One of those prospects is shortstop Alex Freeland, ranked fifth in the Dodgers' pipeline and promoted to Oklahoma City in August after having already been promoted to Double-A in early May.

Freeland has been relatively under-the-radar compared to others in the Dodgers' top 30 — Dalton Rushing, Josue De Paula, Jackson Ferris — but ESPN's Eric Karabell had an ambitious (and incredibly specific) prediction for him in 2025. Karabell wrote, "SS prospect Alex Freeland debuts in May, starts 95 games at 2B and leads the club with 24 stolen bases."

ESPN fantasy writer has incredibly bold (and specific) prediction for Dodgers' No. 5 prospect Alex Freeland

Assuming that this prediction actually becomes a reality, one would have to wonder where Kim ends up. Would the Dodgers really keep him in the minors that long? To accommodate both Kim and Freeland on the roster, they would have to cut one of Hernández, Miguel Rojas, or Chris Taylor; Taylor is the most obvious candidate, but the team has already kept him around this long.

This certainly suggests that Kim dukes it out at Triple-A with Freeland after starting the season in the minors, and Freeland ultimately wins out.

This could actually be an incredibly fun storyline to keep an eye on. If we had to place bets now, Kim would probably be the odds-on favorite — cash is king for the Dodgers, and even though they only owe Kim $2.83 million this year, it's far more than they're paying Freeland — but some prospects need to get some room to breathe on the Dodgers' roster at some point, so why not Freeland?