Wikipedia

Sal Frelick

Salvatore Michael Frelick (born April 19, 2000) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023. He played college baseball for the Boston College Eagles. The Brewers selected Frelick in the first round, with the 15th overall selection, of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.

Sal Frelick
Frelick with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024
Milwaukee Brewers – No. 10
Outfielder
Born: (2000-04-19) April 19, 2000 (age 24)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 22, 2023, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.255
Home runs6
Runs batted in56
Stolen bases25
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Amateur career

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Frelick playing for Boston College in 2020

Frelick grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts and attended Lexington High School, where he played football, hockey and baseball.[1] He was the starting quarterback at Lexington High and was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year as a senior after passing for 30 touchdowns.[2][3] He committed to play college baseball at Boston College, where he was also offered a football scholarship.[4]

As a freshman at Boston College, Frelick was named Second Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and to the ACC All-Freshman Team after batting .367 with four home runs, 32 RBIs, 30 runs scored and 18 stolen bases.[5][6][7] He batted .241 with 17 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 15 games before his sophomore season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.[8][9] As a junior, Frelick batted .359 with a .443 on-base percentage, six home runs, 27 RBIs, and 17 doubles and was named first team All-ACC and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.[4][10]

Professional career

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The Milwaukee Brewers selected Frelick in the first round, with the 15th overall selection, of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.[11] He signed with the Brewers on July 20, 2021, for a $4 million signing bonus.[12]

Frelick was assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Brewers to start his professional career, where he had seven hits over 15 at bats with four runs scored, four RBIs, and three stolen bases in four games before being promoted to the Low-A Carolina Mudcats.[13][14] He was promoted again to the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers after batting .437 with 31 hits and one home run in 16 games played in Carolina.[15] He ended the season with Wisconsin batting .167 over 15 games.[16] Frelick began the 2022 season with Wisconsin, where he batted .291 in 21 games before being promoted to the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers.[17] He batted .317 with five home runs, 25 RBIs, and 40 runs scored in 52 games with the Shuckers before being promoted a second time to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds.[18]

Frelick began the 2023 season with Nashville.[19] Following a shoulder injury to Garrett Mitchell, Frelick was expected to have a clearer path to make his Major League debut. However, Frelick suffered a thumb sprain shortly thereafter, and was ruled out for 6-to-8 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb on April 25.[20] Once he returned, he played in 40 games for Nashville, hitting .247/.333/.342 with 2 home runs, 18 RBI, and 8 stolen bases.

On July 22, 2023, Frelick was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[21] Frelick made a sensational major-league debut that same day, to help Brewers beat the Atlanta Braves. On offense he hit safely in each of his first three-at bats, including a run-scoring hit to tie the game in the sixth inning. Frelick made multiple acrobatic catches in right field on defense and finally drove in the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth.[22][23] Frelick nailed his first career homer on July 24, with a game-tying blast to right field in the 6th inning off of Cincinnati Reds starter Graham Ashcraft.

In 2024, he batted .259/.320/.335 with two home runs and 32 RBIs in 475 at bats. His average exit velocity of 83.4 mph was the lowest in MLB, his 23.8% softly hit balls were the highest percentage among all MLB batters, and his 18.5% hard hit balls were the lowest percentage among MLB batters, and his .07% barrel percentage was the lowest in MLB.[24]

Personal life

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Frelick is an amateur poet and has participated in readings with other former MLB players and poets including Tom Hume.

International career

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Frelick with the WBC Italy national team at Tokyo Dome on March 16, 2023

Frelick played for the Italy national baseball team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "Lexington's Sal Frelick named top FCBL prospect". Wicked Local. August 7, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  2. ^ Weitzer, Nate (December 11, 2017). "Lexington's Sal Frelick is state's Gatorade Player of the Year". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Lexington QB Sal Frelick honored as Gatorade Player of the Year for Massachusetts". Boston Herald. December 11, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Hass, Trevor (June 1, 2021). "'A completely different animal.' How Lexington's Sal Frelick blossomed into a BC baseball star with Major League talent". Boston.com. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  5. ^ "Sal Frelick, who has Greensburg ties, one to watch in 2021 MLB Draft". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. June 15, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  6. ^ "2021 Draft: Sal Frelick, OF". MLB.com. December 4, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  7. ^ "BC freshman outfielder Sal Frelick thriving in the ACC". Boston Herald. May 3, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  8. ^ "Sal Frelick has excelled at Boston College". August 10, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  9. ^ "Birdball Resurgence: All-American Trio Has Boston College Dreaming of Omaha". Baseball America. February 5, 2021.
  10. ^ Speier, Alex (May 24, 2021). "Meet Boston College's Sal Frelick: One of the best baseball prospects out of New England in a decade". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  11. ^ "Brewers select Sal Frelick, a centerfielder from Boston College, and second baseman Tyler Black from Wright State". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  12. ^ "Boston College product Sal Frelick signs with Milwaukee Brewers". The Boston Globe. July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  13. ^ McCalvey, Adam (August 4, 2021). "Axford reunion shuttered by elbow injury". MLB.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  14. ^ "Brewers' Sal Frelick: Gets quick promotion". CBS Sports. RotoWire. August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  15. ^ Mehring, Chris (August 30, 2021). "Sal Frelick, Brewers #1 Pick in 2021 Draft, Joins Rattlers". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  16. ^ "Frelick, Binelas red-hot debuts".
  17. ^ "Brewers' Sal Frelick: Climbs to Double-A". CBS Sports. RotoWire. May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  18. ^ Heller, Dave (August 4, 2022). "Brewers Triple-A outfield gets overhaul with addition of 4 top prospects". Bally Sports Wisconsin. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  19. ^ "Two of the Brewers' top prospects, Joey Wiemer and Sal Frelick, will start the season at Nashville". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. March 27, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  20. ^ "Brewers' Sal Frelick: Undergoes surgery, out 6-to-8 weeks". cbssports.com. April 25, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  21. ^ Anderson, R.J. (July 22, 2023). "Sal Frelick promotion: Brewers' former first-round pick has huge game in comeback win vs. Braves in MLB debut". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  22. ^ Hogg, Curt (July 22, 2023). "Sal Frelick has sensational major-league debut to help Brewers beat Braves". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  23. ^ "Sal Frelick's superb debut helps Brewers rally to beat Braves". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  24. ^ "2024 Major League Leaders," Fangraphs.
  25. ^ 🖉Angotti, Roberto (February 28, 2023). "Team Italy Pitchers in the 2023 World Baseball Classic". MLB For Life. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
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