2025 Fantasy Baseball: Sal Frelick Profile, Preview, Predictions
The fantasy market won't fight for Sal Frelick in 2025, but he will open some eyes with his skill set this year, especially if his 25 pounds of added bulk push his home run total to double-digits.
SAL FRELICK MAKES IT BACK-TO-BACK BOMBS FOR THE BREWERS! pic.twitter.com/GLIaJVYqgX
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 4, 2024
OF – Sal Frelick, MIL (ADP – 354.7)
Despite lacking a difference-maker college resume (.345 with 97 runs, 12 home runs, 63 RBIs, and 38 stolen bases over 403 at-bats), the Brewers drafted Frelick 15th overall in the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft.
Over his first two seasons in the minors, he hit .331 with 119 runs, 13 home runs, 79 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases over 638 at-bats. His walk rate (10.0) was an asset while being challenging to strike out (12.1). After a slow start at AAA (.232/6/0/3/4 over 56 at-bats) in 2023, Frelick missed almost two months with a left thumb injury that required surgery.
His bat was the same when returning to action at AAA (.261 with 23 runs, two home runs, 16 RBIs, and four steals over 111 at-bats). Milwaukee gave him 199 at-bats of experience after the All-Star break, leading to a .246 batting average with 29 runs, three home runs, 25 RBIs, and seven steals.
The Brewers gave Frelick plenty of at-bats last year, but his swing never fired. His two home runs came in May, followed by 331 homer-less at-bats (.260/46/0/22/13). His strikeout rate (14.9) improved with a setback in his walk rate (7.4). His exit velocity (83.4) and hard-hit rate (19.4) ranked at the bottom of the league for batters with over 400 plate appearances.
Fantasy Outlook: The outfield rotation for Milwaukee looks messy in spring training, forcing one option to see time at DH or have Frelick earn playing time in the infield. In the offseason, he bulked up to add more pop to his swing, but Frelick still brings a Judy hitter profile until more balls go over the fence.
I like his speed upside, and his approach could push him to the top of the Brewers’ lineup. He is a player to follow in shallow formats while offering rotation value in 15-team formats when he’s stealing bases. There's more here than meets the eye, especially in batting average and stolen bases.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.