Frelick is the son of Jeff and Patty Frelick. Sal has two siblings, Nico and Francesca.

Sal's father, Jeff, went to Pitt to play football before he was sidelined by an injury. He also played at Greensburg Central Catholic. Sal’s grandfather, Henry, played quarterback at Greensburg Salem.

In 2018, Sal graduated from Lexington High School in Massachusetts, where he was captain of the football, hockey, and baseball teams.

Some say the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Frelick could have had extended his football career. Massachusetts’ Gatorade Player of the Year in 2017, he had 52 touchdowns, running and passing, as a senior while playing quarterback.

For Frelick, that stream of year-round athletics between football in the fall, hockey in the winter and baseball in the spring and summer is a large part of what shaped him into the top-of-the-order lefthanded hitter he is today.

His focus was directed toward becoming the best athlete and competitor he could in high school to maximize his potential down the line. The advanced techniques and nuances of baseball would always be there for him to learn under capable coaching staffs in college.

Frelick accepted a baseball scholarship to Boston College.

As a freshman 2019, he was in 39 games and hit .367 with four home runs, 32 RBI, 30 runs scored and 18 stolen bases … registered a .447 on-base percentage and .513 slugging percentage.

In the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign, Sal started all 15 games and hit .241 (14-for-58) with a .414 slugging and .380 on-base percentage. He scored 17 runs and stole 7 bases.

A dynamic, plus athlete, Sal plays the game with plenty of energy and has the toolset to impact the game on both sides of the ball. 

June 2021: Frelick was the Brewers first round pick (#15 overall), out of Boston College. 

July 29, 2021: Frelick signed for $4 million, via scout Ty Blankmeyer.

Sal is heralded as a terrific defensive player and potentially a sparkplug atop the lineup, a former three-sports star in high school whose hand-eye coordination from hockey and athleticism from football show up on the baseball field, according to Brewers area scout Ty Blankmeyer.

“Sneaky athlete,” Brewers scouting director Tod Johnson said.  “I say ‘sneaky’ just because you look at him and he doesn’t scream super-athlete.  Then you watch him do everything on the field and it’s incredible.”

Those other sports, Blankmeyer said, “flash through” when Frelick is on the baseball field.  “There's hockey, you can see that with the bat to ball,” Blankmeyer said.  “Football, you can see it just by his defense and routes and athleticism.  So, it's a special athlete.”

As for his relatively diminutive stature?  “He acts like he's the biggest dude on the field,” Blankmeyer said.  “He knows his game.  He's very sharp.  He's got a very high aptitude, so he understands what he has to do to be successful.  The twitch and the athleticism and the explosiveness make up for size. I don't care how big you are, because this guy, his game is big.  He might be 'small,' but his game's not small, it's big.  When you go watch him in the game, he always does something to make you get up out of your seat, like, 'whoa.'  He's an exciting player.”  (McCalvy - mlb.com) 

2021 Season: Sal hit the ground running during his first season, raking against lesser competition in rookie ball and low-A before struggling against the more advanced pitchers in high-A. Overall, though, there is a lot to be optimistic about after Frelick hit a cumulative .329/.414/.466 in 169 plate appearances across the three levels.

Named as the Brewer org’s best hitter for average and best athlete, Frelick earns praise from Baseball America for his control of the strike zone and bat-to-ball skills. He doesn’t project to hit for much power though at 5’ 9”, and his arm strength in the outfield is below-average. He’s a 70-runner however, and BA sees the possibility that he winds up as a top-of-the-order hitter.  (Kyle Lesniewski@Kyle_Lesniewski - Dec 14, 2021)

In 2022, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Frelick as the 3rd-best Brewers' prospect. And he was at #2 in 2023 -- behind only OF Jackson Chourio.

Feb 2022: Brewers most athletic prospect - Sal Frelick, OF (No. 2, MLB No. 88)

Frelick may have been undrafted out of the Massachusetts prep ranks, but he did head to Boston College as the 2017-18 Gatorade Football Player of the Year for Massachusetts and an excellent hockey player to boot. It’s his plus-plus speed that translates well to all three sports, and his excellent hand-eye coordination leading to strong contact rates only helps his baseball stock.

The 2021 ACC Defensive Player of the Year could have a fun competition with fellow prospect Garrett Mitchell for the future of the center field spot in Milwaukee. (Mayo, Callis, Dykstra - MLB.com - Feb 10, 2022)

Frelick is a great guy in the clubhouse. Managers and coaches love having him on their team.

2022 Season: Frelick was the Brewers first-round pick just over one year ago. After putting up impressive numbers at the three highest levels of minor-league baseball this year, he finds himself on the precipice of a big-league promotion. 

Brewer Fanatic Minor League Hitter of the Year: Sal Frelick, OF High-A/Double-A/Triple-A Stats (119 G): .331/.403/.480 (.883), 28-2B, 6-3B, 11-HR, 59-RBI 

Frelick was the Brewers' first-round draft pick, 21st overall, in the 2021 draft after three strong seasons at Boston College. He posted a .367 batting average as a freshman in 2019. 2020 was cut short. Then during his junior season, he hit .359/.414/.466 (.880) with 17 doubles, two triples, and six home runs.   (Seth Stohs - Oct. 2, 2022)

March 14, 2023: The Brewers are taking fans behind the scenes with top prospects in a new documentary series that launched Tuesday.

Called “The Freshmen,” the docuseries comes from the Brewers’ in-house production team and will feature MLB Pipeline’s Top 5 Brewers prospects: Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Joey Wiemer, Brice Turang and Garrett Mitchell. Episodes will come in three weekly installments before Opening Day, with the potential for more episodes during the regular season.

“The thing I like about it is it’s not just a normal interview,” Turang said. “There’s meaning behind it. It’s allowing people to know us better as the younger guys coming in, and how we get along with each other.” 

Episode 1 introduces fans to the quartet of top position prospects in big league camp: Outfielders Frelick, Wiemer and Mitchell and infielder Turang, starting with Mitchell’s Major League debut last August and September. He was the first callup from this position player prospect wave, which has drawn comparisons to the mid-2000s group of Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, Corey Hart and eventually Ryan Braun. That crew helped lift the Brewers to postseason contention for the first time in a generation.

Like that prospect group, this one is all homegrown. Chourio was the Brewers’ top international signee in the class of 2020-21. The others are Draft picks; Turang in the first round in 2018 out of high school, Mitchell (first round) and Wiemer (fourth round) in 2020 out of college, and Frelick (first round) in 2021, also out of college. Turang, Mitchell, Wiemer and Frelick all debuted within 18 months of each other.

“I had a sneak preview, and it looks like they’ve done a great job with this,” Brewers farm director Tom Flanagan said. “Any time you can draw attention to these kinds of players, it’s a good thing for everybody. It’s a great behind-the-scenes look at these guys, maybe something different for the fans.”  

Besides wearing microphones in workouts and, in the case of Spring Training roommates Frelick and Wiemer, inviting cameras into their apartment, each of the players sat for extended documentary-style interviews and talked about the others.

“‘G’ is definitely the best behind the camera,” Wiemer said, referring to Mitchell. “Me, I’m not great behind the camera. But I got to see the first episode and I think it came out awesome. Not that I didn’t expect it to be good, but it exceeded expectations for me.” 

“It’s fun to see what they came out with, and how it’s more getting to know us instead of us just running around and playing,” Turang said. “You actually get to hear us talking about each other.”

Episode 2 has off-the-field footage with Frelick and Wiemer at home (early word is that Frelick is quite an entertaining poker player), as well as Mitchell and his wife, professional softball player Haley Cruse Mitchell.

In Episode 3, fans will learn about the origin stories of each prospect in their own words, from Frelick’s New England upbringing to Wiemer’s Midwest roots in Michigan to Turang and Mitchell from Southern California.

“It’s awesome to have guys to go through this with,” Wiemer said. “I think the show does a really good job of representing that. Behind the scenes, off the field, it’s really cool to be part of that group of guys.”  (Adam McCalvy)

Frelick committed to play for Italy in the 2023 WBC. The highest ranked of the three Top 100 prospects in the WBC, Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick (No. 30), hit an impressive .329/.421/.556 with three doubles in four group games to lead Italy out of Pool A and into the quarterfinals, where the team fell to Japan.

He picked up his first big-league hit, drove in the tying and winning runs, and made two spectacular catches, including robbing Marcell Ozuna of a home run. (Curt Bishop)

Aug. 8, 2023: Through his first three games, Frelick had five hits, including a home run, something only Hall of Famer Paul Molitor has done in franchise history. That isn't the only club that Frelick has joined Molitor in.

The production that Frelick has brought so quickly has not only been needed in an otherwise anemic Brewers offense, but it's been historic.

With Frelick's 4 RBI performance recently, he reached 15 RBIs just 16 games into his career. That's a new Brewers franchise record for fewest games to 15 RBIs, breaking a record held by none other than Paul Molitor. It took Molitor 19 games to reach that mark. (David Gasper)

Frelick has also put together a 5 RBI game, which was within his first 12 games, joining another club that includes Molitor. There's also Brian Banks and Blake Perkins in that club, but that's three straight clubs that Frelick has joined that includes Paul Molitor, and two of them include only Paul Molitor.

A first-round pick in the 2021 draft out of Boston College, Sal Frelick reached the majors in only two years. Injuries to the Brewers’ outfielders contributed to that fast rise, but Frelick looks like he’s here to stay after an impressive start to his big-league career, reaching base at a .388 clip with an .809 OPS and three homers and 16 RBIs in his first 26 games (98 plate appearances).

He is 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts and ranks in the 90th percentile in sprint speed. He has won games with his outfield range and ability to make diving plays. He grinds his at-bats, walking more than he strikes out. He has made quite a first impression. Matt Arnold, general manager: “Since making his major league debut in July, Sal has added an undeniable energy both offensively and defensively, and he will continue to play a huge role for us down the stretch.” (Bowden - Aug 24, 2023 - The Athletic)

Frelick is a line-drive hitter with quick hands through and to the ball. He can barrel the ball, even if it is not in the strike zone. He has 40 grade power. And a 60 grade hit tool.

The former Eagle has shown stellar plate discipline dating back to his college days, and with a short left-handed swing, he can turn on pitches in any spot of the zone. Those bat-to-ball skills come in handy for a player with plus-plus speed, and Frelick can beat out infield dribblers or pick up extra bases on balls to the gaps. That last part is important because, while Frelick is fairly strong for his size, he hasn’t shown power yet, and he may not have the over-the-fence pop to challenge for 15 homers when he reaches the Majors. (BA - Spring 2023)

Sal packs quick-twitch, explosive athleticism into a smaller, 5-foot-9 frame with plus-plus speed and high-end contact skills. He does a good job of hitting the ball where it is pitched, using his quick hands to pull fastballs up and in while shooting pitches on the outer third to the opposite field. Frelick has a small strike zone and doesn't expand much, with the bat-to-ball skills to make contact even when he does chase.

He doesn't get off his best swings on pitches down, instead slapping the ball into the ground and relying on his wheels. Frelick has sneaky pop for his size and can pull a ball out when he gets a pitch up in the zone, but he doesn't project to be a power threat and will likely be a 10-15 home run hitter. (Ben Badler - Baseball America Prospect Handbook - Spring, 2023) 

 “He’s consistently good at everything he does," said Ayrault. "He's got the hitting tool, flashes the power—which I think is going to come—can run, play defense, has a good arm.”

Aside from the obvious physical tools, Frelick also brings that “gamer” mentality with him to the field each day.

“Unbelievable guy in the clubhouse. He’s a competitor and plays to win,” Ayrault said. “Hard-nosed baseball player. He’s a good one.” (Todd Rosiak - Baseball America - Nov., 2022)

Sal's athleticism is a big part of his game, with his easy speed helping him defensively and on the basepaths. Offensively, he has a strong history of making contact and getting on base. He walked more than he struck out in 2019 and 2020 combined, and has very impressive bat-to-ball skills along with plus bat speed, pointing to future potential as a plus hitter. He’s deceptively strong with good extra-base ability, and he could eventually get to average power from the left side of the plate. (Spring 2022)

Sal has a chance to be a dynamic top-of-the-order catalyst with plenty of extra-base pop, speed and defensive ability in center.

Sal has high-end contact skills. He does a good job of hitting the ball where it is pitched, using his quick hands to pull fastballs up and in while shooting pitches on the outer third to the opposite field. Frelick has a small strike zone and doesn't expand much, with the bat-to-ball skills to make contact even when he does chase. He has a chance to hit at the top of a lineup and play good defense at a premium position. 

Sal doesn't get off his best swings on pitches down, instead slapping the ball into the ground and relying on his wheels. Frelick has sneaky pop for his size and can pull a ball out when he gets a pitch up in the zone, but he doesn't project to be a power threat and will likely be a 10-15 home run hitter. (Ben Badler - BAPH - Spring, 2022)

One of Frelick’s strongest aspects as a hitter is his plate discipline. He has worked hard on his pitch selection.

“I’ve always kind of stuck with that ‘be an athlete’ mentality, make the hustle plays and be a tough out at the plate,” Frelick said. “When I got to college, I didn’t really want to change that at all. That was my approach: Put the ball in play and put pressure on the defense.”

Sal has a simple load and shift/ bat path to the ball. He hits from an upright stance with a small hip coil load and good rotation to the ball with an impressively quick weight shift. It is geared for line drives up the middle and into the gaps, with most of his power to the pull side. He does get a bit barred at times and has a tendency to use too much shoulder in the swing and roll over on pitches. 

David Laurila: You’re obviously a very good hitter. Where did you learn to hit?

Sal Frelick: “I don’t know if I ever learned from anybody. For as long as I can remember, the only thing I’ve tried to do is not strike out. I’ve wanted to put the ball in play, and over time, with that being the number one priority for me, it’s kind of how the swing I have now developed.”

Laurila: Is it basically the same swing you had as a kid?

Frelick: “Just about. It’s obviously gotten a little cleaner mechanically, but for the most part it’s been just short and compact. It’s not the prettiest thing you’ll ever see, but it gets the job done.”

Laurila: What’s not pretty about it?

Frelick: “If you look at your average lefty, sweet-swinging, Robinson Canó type of player, they have these nice long swings. Because I’ve always been trying to stay as short as possible, trying not to swing and miss, it’s just kind of compact.”

Laurila: How would you describe your swing?

Frelick: “I would say I try to stay in the zone as long as possible. And it’s a very even swing. I’m not thinking ‘get on top of it’ or ‘get under it,’ I just want to get it in the zone and keep it there the whole entire time until I make contact. That allows me to be able to square up more pitches in the zone, whether it’s a 90-mph fastball or an 80-mph changeup; I can hit that fastball deep and catch the off-speed out front. The longer your bat is in the zone, the better chance you’re giving yourself to adjust to the pitch.”

Laurila: What goes into keeping a bat in the zone for a long time?

Frelick: “I think a lot of it is just your approach. When I get up there, I’m trying to stay inside the ball and hit all of the fastballs I get to left-center. Because I have that approach, and because my bat is in the zone, if I get flipped an offspeed, even though I’m thinking fastball, I can hit it out front and pull it.”

Laurila: Circling back to you learning to hit, there have to be people who helped you along the way. There are a lot of good hitting instructors in the New England area.

Frelick: “There are, but I haven’t really worked with anybody except John Murphy, who was our hitting coach at BC when I was there. He’s a phenomenal person, and someone who helped me out tremendously. But in the offseasons, during the winter, it was never like I was going to a hitting coach.”

Laurila: What about your offseasons now? Do you spend a lot of time in cages?

Frelick: “Oh yeah. All the time. But again, I’m not with hitting coaches. I really like getting in the cage and challenging myself. I love machines and stuff like that. I’ve always been a guy who likes to go in there and work through my swing, finding what’s comfortable, instead of having somebody there telling me what they see.”

Laurila: What kind of machine do you like working with?

Frelick: “We have this thing called a Black Box — I think that’s what it’s called — and it’s pretty cool technology. You can dump a big bucket of balls in the top and it just spits them out. I’ll program this thing. It can give you a fastball, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup, and I’ll have them come in random sequences, so I don’t know what’s coming. It’s hard to hit against — I‘m missing all the time — but I want to challenge myself as much as I can when I’m in the cage. That way, when I’m facing the big guns, I’m kind of up to speed.”

Laurila: Changing direction a bit, what was the scouting and draft process like for you? Was going to the Brewers pretty much what you expected?

Frelick: “I had absolutely no clue. Even right before that pick, I had no idea where I was going. I kind of knew that I was going to be taken at some point in the first round, and was hoping earlier than later — somewhere between 10 and 20 would have been my best guess. But beyond that, I was just really excited when I heard my name called.”

Laurila: I assume you had conversations and were asked if you’d sign for X amount if you were taken with whatever pick.

Frelick: “No one ever really asked that. It was more that they just wanted to get a vibe from you. Those conversations on draft day, would you sign for X amount of money, usually happen with the agent, but I had met with all 30 teams prior to the draft. I wouldn’t say that any teams seemed more interested than the other teams. I definitely wouldn’t say that, after I’d talked to all of them, it was ‘the Brewers are really high on me.’ I literally had no clue.”

Laurila: You did talk to all 30 teams?

Frelick: “Yes. With college kids, they have scout meetings that happen in the fall before winter break. They’re usually in-person, but it was COVID when I was a junior, so it was all over Zoom. Basically, you hop on a Zoom call with each team and kind of just chat; it’s kind of like an informal interview.”

Laurila: The Red Sox had the fourth pick (and took Marcelo Mayer), so while that wasn’t very likely, the Yankees picked 20th. I assume there would have been a pretty clear preference between the two.

Frelick: “I mean, I grew up a huge Red Sox fan, a huge Boston fan. So when I was 10 years old, my reaction to the Yankees would have been, ‘No way I’m signing with them.’ But come the day you’re actually drafted, you just want to go to a respectable club. I don’t know if there is one that is more marketable that the Yankees, so that would have been cool. But I was definitely thankful that it was the Brewers.”

Laurila: You weren’t drafted out of high school. Were there conversations with scouts prior to BC?

Frelick: “Not at all during the draft. I then played in the Futures League, a collegiate summer league up in New England, before my freshman year of college, and played really well. A few scouts there were interested in signing me post-draft as a free agent — one team made an actual offer — but I was like, ‘No, I’m going to college.’ Unless it was $10 million, I was going to BC.”  (Feb 22, 2023)

2023 Season: He had a solid rookie season after being called up in late July, hitting .246/.341/.351 (91 OPS+) with three homers, 24 RBIs, and seven steals in 57 games. He also provided strong defense, totaling six defensive runs saved above average and developing a strong highlight reel, including a few great catches in his debut and a no-hitter-saving catch against the Yankees in September. (Harrison_Freuck - Mar 11, 2024)

2024 Season: 524 PA, .259/.320/.335, 123 H, 22 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 32 RBI, 18 SB, 83 OPS+, 2.1 rWAR

After making a dazzling debut, Frelick’s rookie campaign slowed down, as he struggled to hit the ball with much power, homering just 3 times in 223 plate appearances. His defense and speed made him a viable defensive option, but it was unclear whether he’d ever be an impactful bat in the lineup.

This year, he leaned into his strengths even more, focusing on putting the ball in play and squaring up the ball as well as he could. His average exit velocity is still among the lowest of anyone in the big leagues, but he manages a decent batting average and on-base percentage. Furthermore, his glove in the outfield has ascended from great to magnificent, accumulating 15 total DRS. (Jason Wang - Oct. 8, 2024)

Sal has good instincts and range in center field (55 grade defender) with fringe-average 45-grade arm strength.

A former ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Frelick can be a fit in center because of his speed, but he is still working on his reads and routes. Since he's debuted with the Brewers in July, he's actually played more right field in deference to fellow rookie Joey Wiemer, who has been a great defender up the middle, and he's exhibited better arm strength from that corner than was expected when he first entered pro ball. Frelick's ability to put the ball in play and bring energy to the lineup has helped energize a Milwaukee hitting corps that needed the boost. (BA - Spring 2023)

The former BC Eagle saw some time in the corners in college but moved to center for good in 2021, earning ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors. He might continue to improve defensively as he gets more used to the routes required to play up the middle. With his offensive skill set, he could be Milwaukee’s leadoff man of the future. (Spring 2022)

The 5-foot-9 Frelick played mostly right field at Boston College, though he did see some time in center in 2019 and even played some shortstop. He was in center field full-time in 2021. And thanks to his plus makeup, he worked to make good adjustments and prove he should be able to stay there long-term, and the Golden Spikes Award semifinalist was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year as a result of those efforts.

The Brewers are believers that he’ll remain up the middle, and Frelick gives the club another speedy outfielder after Garrett Mitchell entered the picture in 2020. (Spring 2022) 

He is a quick-twitch athlete with smooth fielding actions in the outfield or at shortstop or second base.

Frelick has drastically improved his ability to track fly balls in the outfield from his days as a high school shortstop. He is a solid center fielder

There is fluidity and athleticism throughout Frelick's actions, quick first step with clean hands, moves well and has range to both sides, very quick release with good accuracy across the diamond.

GOLD GLOVER

May 2022: Frelick  missed several games for the Biloxi Shuckers after being shaken up attempting to make a diving catch.

April 18-June 14, 2023: Frelick required surgery to repair the UCL in his left thumb. Sal injured his left thumb while sliding into second base.

June 22, 2023: Frelick was in visible pain after he fouled a ball off his right knee during the second game of the Triple-A Sounds' doubleheader. Brewers' VP and special assistant to the GM Eduardo Brizuela said that Frelick was OK and avoided major injury.

"He was hopping around the weight room today and should be OK," Brizuela said.