Freeland was a solid infield prospect coming out of Mariner High School in Cape Coral, Fla., after his pandemic-shortened senior season. He wasn’t taken in the abbreviated five-round Draft that June, but scouts knew he would be eligible again as a sophomore at Central Florida two years later. He stepped right into the Knights’ lineup as a freshman and has been a mainstay offensively and at shortstop since.
Freeland is a switch-hitter who has the chance to have some impact with the bat. He’s had excellent plate discipline while at Central Florida, drawing a ton of walks in both seasons, and he’s cut his strikeout rate considerably as a sophomore. He has legitimate extra-base pop, especially to his pull side, from both sides of the plate, showing more power right-handed this season.
While he’s played shortstop exclusively at UCF, scouts don’t see him sticking there at the next level, with a lack of quickness limiting his range, though he does have good hands and actions to stay on the dirt. He played second and third during his time in the Cape Cod League last summer, and some evaluators think his best shot at being a regular will be as an offensive-minded second baseman at the professional level.
After several surgeries as an infant to correct a clubfoot, Freeland developed into one of the better prep shortstops in the 2020 class, though he went undrafted in the shortened five-round affair. He broke a hamate as a sophomore at Central Florida in 2022, but he still played well enough for the Dodgers to take him in the third round, making him the second-highest drafted position player in Knights history. After a so-so first full pro season in High-A, he batted .260/.387/.442 with 18 homers and 31 steals in 136 games while reaching Triple-A last year.
Freeland's swing decisions rank among the best in Los Angeles' system, and he ranked sixth in the Minors with 91 walks in '24. A switch-hitter, he makes more contact and has more impact from the left side of the plate, though he did improve his righty production last season. He has a quick bat and good feel for launching balls in the air to his pull side, which could translate into 20 homers per year.
While he's an average runner, Freeland's advanced instincts allow him to play quicker than that on the bases and at shortstop. He covers ground to both sides and has reliable hands and plus arm strength, ingredients that add up to solid defense at short. He also has seen action at second and third base and has a floor of a utilityman, but he definitely profiles as an everyday player at shortstop.
Freeland overcame several surgeries as an infant to correct a clubfoot and became one of the better high school shortstops in the 2020 class, though he went unpicked in the shortened five-round Draft. Despite a broken hamate as a Central Florida sophomore in 2022, he became the second-highest drafted position player in school history, going in the third round to the Dodgers. After a lackluster first full pro season, he has had one of the biggest breakthroughs in the system this year.
Freeland works counts, draws walks and makes quality swing decisions as well as any Los Angeles farmhand. A switch-hitter, he does more damage as a lefty, but has improved his production from both sides of the plate in 2024. He's making more consistent hard contact and could provide 20 homers per season.
Freeland's advanced instincts allow him to play faster than his average speed on the bases and at shortstop. He has range to both sides, reliable hands and plus arm strength, allowing him to make all the plays. Though he also has seen action at second and third base and has the versatility for a utility role, he profiles as a regular at short.
Freeland was on scouting radars but didn't get much of a chance to play his way into the shortened 2020 Draft during a truncated Florida high school season, so he headed to Central Florida. He battled through a broken hamate as a sophomore last spring to go in the third round and become the second-highest drafted position player in Knights history, trailing only 1992 No. 5 overall pick Chad Mottola. Signed for $580,200, he homered three times in eight Single-A games in his brief pro debut before spending his first full season in High-A.
Freeland shows aptitude on both sides of the ball. A switch-hitter, he consistently puts together quality at-bats, working counts while controlling the strike zone. He uses the entire field, makes hard contact and gets to most of his average raw power.
Though he possesses just fringy speed, Freeland plays faster than that on the bases and at shortstop with his advanced instincts. He has sure hands and plus arm strength, and the Dodgers believe he can cover enough ground to play a solid shortstop. He's more than capable at second or third base, though the offensive bar would be higher at those positions.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
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Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
