Sal Frelick and the Limits of Positional Versatility

×

Expand

Photo via Sal Frelick - Instagram

Sal Frelick

Sal Frelick

Organizationally the Brewers have gotten a lot of mileage out of drafting, signing and developing players with versatile defensive profiles. At some point, however, it’s possible that flexibility creates a new challenge.

Until last season, for example, the Brewers had Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell all playing center field at various levels of the organization at the same time. As those players have all grown into regulars in the majors it’s been useful for them all to have that skill, but of course they can’t all play it at the same time. Sometimes there’s not room in center for any of them as the Brewers also have Blake Perkins, whose highlight reel defense has earned him a spot in that mix as well.

For Frelick, the defensive skills that made him a top prospect in center have been a significant asset for the Brewers in right field. He won a Gold Glove in that spot in his first full season in the majors in 2024, but his offense did not fit the traditional expectations for that position. Frelick slugged just .335 across 145 games, negating a fair portion of the value he created on the defensive side. Baseball Reference still estimates Frelick was worth 2.1 Wins Above Replacement in 2024 but had his OPS+ at 83, meaning he was 17% worse than the average MLB hitter.

Big Step Forward

At least one notable baseball analyst, however, thinks Frelick may be poised to take a big step forward in 2025. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN highlighted Frelick as his breakout pick for the Brewers this season, noting that Frelick “added 20 to 25 pounds of muscle, depending on the report, so expect a power spike.” Even if Frelick’s power only jumped from his 2024 levels to league average that would have accounted for 33 more total bases, or roughly 10 more doubles and three home runs, across his 2024 playing time. For whatever it’s worth, Frelick is slugging .583 across 13 games this spring and hit his second home run on Sunday (causing Brandon Woodruff, who was being interviewed at the time, to again remark on his muscle gain).

If Frelick is going to stick in right field for the Brewers long term, then it makes sense for him to adapt his workout routine and body composition to add power and fit a more traditional profile for that position. The challenge, however, is that the Brewers may also still need Frelick to play a significant role at his original spot. With Perkins injured, Frelick has been Mitchell’s primary backup in center for most of the spring. Given Mitchell’s injury history, it’s strongly possible that Frelick will be tabbed to move back up the defensive spectrum at some point this season.

Wear and Tear

As we’ve established previously, however, the physical demands of center field take a measurable toll on the offensive production of many of the players who see regular time out there. It stands to reason that the wear and tear of routinely playing center will have an even greater impact, both in-game and cumulatively over the course of a season, on a player who weighs dozens of pounds more than he did at this time last year. If the Brewers end up needing Frelick regularly in center, then that mass he added to play right might end up being detrimental to his performance and ability to stay on the field.

In both the infield and the outfield the Brewers have strongly benefited in recent years from having players with strong defensive backgrounds who can mix and match at a variety of positions. At some point, however, it might end up making more sense for them to let a player like Frelick focus on and tailor his preparations for one spot than to keep moving him around.