MILWAUKEE — Sal Frelick‘s athleticism was one of the main reasons the Milwaukee Brewers selected him with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft, and that athleticism was on full display Tuesday night with a spectacular diving catch.
Frelick belted his first home run of the season, drew a walk, stole a base, and made a pair of spectacular defensive plays in the Brewers’ 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at American Family Field.
“That’s the kid that the Brewers drafted in the first round,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s got that ‘it’ factor. I’m really, really happy for him.”
Sal’s first of the season in all its glory @SalFrelick pic.twitter.com/pQjWI1MYbL
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 15, 2024
It was Frelick’s first home run since August 7 of last season, a span of 284 at-bats. “All my homers are usually accidents,” Frelick said. “I think he threw a homer pitch to me so it was good to get one.” The home run gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead and was part of a string of five straight hits that doubled the Brewers’ lead before the inning was over.
The former first-round pick has been struggling to find consistency at the plate in his second big-league season. He came into Monday’s game slashing .241/.316/.282 with a .608 OPS while striking out 34 times and drawing only 13 walks.
“I’ve been working really hard every day making sure I’m giving myself the best opportunity,” Frelick said, “Just getting into my routine and really trusting in that and trusting that that’s what is gonna allow me to be successful in the field. It’s good to kind of see some results.”
Sal Frelick’s Diving Catch Highlights a 4-3 Brewers Victory
Frelick’s defense, though, has remained top-notch despite the offensive struggles and his leaping grab to rob Andrew McCutchen of extra bases in the eighth inning was a prime example of why he continues to get penciled into Murphy’s lineup.
“Right off the bat, I thought it was for sure going to drop. As I was running I was able to gain a little ground on it.”
SALVATORE ARE YOU KIDDING!?@SalFrelick pic.twitter.com/sIWFEF1B3i
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 15, 2024
Shifting Positions
A surplus of talented outfielders combined with a lack of options at third base during the offseason led the Brewers to experiment with moving Frelick to the hot corner.
He saw significant time there both during camp itself as well as Cactus League play and performed well enough to be in consideration to be the Opening Day third baseman. The plan changed, though, when Garrett Mitchell fractured his finger late in spring training.
Mitchell’s injury, and the emergence of Joey Ortiz and Oliver Dunn as everyday options at third base, have kept Frelick in the outfield for all 37 of his starts this season.
“He’s young,” Murphy said. “You have to remember how young he is and then you think about trying to play in the big leagues. We’ve thrown a lot at him and we trust him. He’s only 40-some games in.
“We wore him out a little bit in spring training, but now he’s settling in and I’m happy for him.”
Contreras’ Streaks Continue
William Contreras extended his hitting streak to eight games and his on-base streak to 22 consecutive games.
The Brewers’ catcher and early-season candidate for NL Most Valuable Player honors has reached safely in 39 of 42 games this season and came into the game leading all batters with a .354 average and 38 runs scored while ranking second with a .433 on-base percentage.
“He’s been special,” Murphy said.
Contreras and shortstop Willy Adames have started all 42 of Milwaukee’s games this season.
Hall Making Progress
While Rhys Hoskins became the 12th Brewers player to land on the IL this season, DL Hall is creeping ever closer to coming off that list.
The left-hander threw a 34-pitch simulated game Tuesday afternoon with his fastball topping out at around 95 MPH according to left-hander Wade Miley, who’s serving as an unofficial pitching coach after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery.
“I thought he was really good,” Miley said. “I thought there were some definite improvements. … It was a good step forward for him.”
The Brewers acquired Hall along with infielder Joey Ortiz in the trade that sent Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles. He’s been out since April 21, when he sprained his left knee fielding a bunt in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Hall made four starts before the injury, going 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA and 2.265 WHIP while striking out 10 batters over 16 1/3 innings.
If all goes well and Hall reports no issues with either his knee or arm, he’s expected to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment in order to build up his pitch count.
Scoreboard Watching
Milwaukee’s victory, combined with the Cubs’ 7-0 loss in Atlanta Tuesday, extended the Brewers lead to 1 1/2 games over the rest of the NL Central Division.
Up Next
The Brewers wrap up their three-game series with the Pirates as well as their home stand Wednesday afternoon at American Family Field. Left-hander Robert Gasser (1-0, 0.00 ERA) returns to the mound for Milwaukee after an impressive big-league debut his last time out while left-hander Martín Pérez (1-2, 3.60) gets the start for Pittsburgh.
