Where does Sal Frelick fit?

[KeithStone53151]

It's wild that Wiemer and Mitchell look so good so quick. If all 3 truly pan out(including Frelick), I don't think there's a scenario where one doesn't get traded for value...especially with Chourio coming. I mean, what do you think Michael Harris from the Braves would net in a trade right now? That's probably the closest comparable if Mitchell or Wiemer have an 800+ OPS in May/June. We could rotate one out for pitching or a true 1b/DH slugger. All that said, we're 5 games in. It's fun to talk about the what if all 3 pan out...but it's still early and I'm sure the league will test these guys at some point.

One thing I noticed right away from Wiemer is he seems very susceptible to inside pitches. He covers the outside of the plate very well, better than he should honestly. He's making mediocre or better contact on sliders off the plate, which is really better than a slugger should be doing. I feel like once teams pick up on this, he'll start getting pounded inside and it'll be jam-city. We'll see on that.

[Jake McKibbin]

5 minutes ago, KeithStone53151 said:

It's wild that Wiemer and Mitchell look so good so quick. If all 3 truly pan out(including Frelick), I don't think there's a scenario where one doesn't get traded for value...especially with Chourio coming. I mean, what do you think Michael Harris from the Braves would net in a trade right now? That's probably the closest comparable if Mitchell or Wiemer have an 800+ OPS in May/June. We could rotate one out for pitching or a true 1b/DH slugger. All that said, we're 5 games in. It's fun to talk about the what if all 3 pan out...but it's still early and I'm sure the league will test these guys at some point.

One thing I noticed right away from Wiemer is he seems very susceptible to inside pitches. He covers the outside of the plate very well, better than he should honestly. He's making mediocre or better contact on sliders off the plate, which is really better than a slugger should be doing. I feel like once teams pick up on this, he'll start getting pounded inside and it'll be jam-city. We'll see on that.

Interestingly that's a huge differential from last season in the minors, when he had a real hole in the outer half of the strike zone

[tmwiese55]

If those guys are that good it's the dream scenario for MKE to keep them, not trade them.  Cost controlled every day players for 7 years.  Only way it would make sense to trade is if they think it's  a fluke and want to cash out high. Like it seems they thought and were right on Grisham. 

[KeithStone53151]

1 hour ago, Jake McKibbin said:

Interestingly that's a huge differential from last season in the minors, when he had a real hole in the outer half of the strike zone

Maybe he over corrected? I'm also far from a scout and my the sample of what I've seen is limited obviously.

[rickh150]

Ironically, for as lopsided we say the Yelich trade was, we would gladly trade him and his contract back for the same guys traded away.

Like many said, for all (Mitchell, Wiemer, Frelick, Churio) our young OF to pan out and be quality major league talent, it’s pretty unlikely.  Even if that 2% likelihood happens and they are all relatively avg or above avg, we still could use them all in a rotation of 4 or 5 with  a DH present for all games and the usual rest and injuries that plague all teams.

 

[Outlander]

Eh, that is two different things the trade and the extension. Wasn't the smartest to extend him after shattering his knee. The Brewers received a MVP player for pretty much nothing.

[rickh150]

23 hours ago, Outlander said:

Eh, that is two different things the trade and the extension. Wasn't the smartest to extend him after shattering his knee. The Brewers received a MVP player for pretty much nothing.

Still true…we would gladly give him back to get out of the contract.

[edfunderburk]

4 hours ago, rickh150 said:

Still true…we would gladly give him back to get out of the contract.

They might even be open to paying a portion of his salary in a trade 

[Brewcrew82]

50 minutes ago, edfunderburk said:

They might even be open to paying a portion of his salary in a trade 

Except Yelich has a full no trade clause..

[brewmann04]

It usually works it out but I sure their find a spot for Sal when they need to now let’s just ride the wave 

[MrTPlush]

It is exponentially more likely Mitchell/Wiemer are bad enough for both to get demoted than it is for both to be so good that neither gets demoted.

It has been a fun 6 games, but it is 6 games. Adames/Contreras are probably not going to hit for a sub .600 OPS this year. Fortunately, both will right the ship...unfortunately Mitchell and/or Weimer are probably going to hit a wall.

In the event both keep hitting and never get demoted, sorry Frelick, see you next year. They can figure it out during the offseason.

[KeithStone53151]

On 4/5/2023 at 1:32 PM, rickh150 said:

Even if that 2% likelihood happens and they are all relatively avg or above avg

 

With Wiemer/Mitchell starting so well, I would say you could probably increase that 2% likelihood a bit. They'll all certainly face adversity at some point, but 20 PA of 1000 OPS is better than 20 PA with 12 k's...also worth noting Mitchell had significant PA last season so his likelihood of sticking is certainly higher than Frelick/Wiemer.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I think too many people fail to realize how much higher Mitchell's ceiling is than Frelick in terms of defensive value and power.  Limited sample size last season, but Mitchell did get his average up over 0.300 at the MLB level after initial struggles.

Mitchell absolutely profiles as an everyday centerfielder with plus defense and above average offense from that position - provided he can stay healthy.  Frelick has the superior hit/contact tool, but Mitchell is the better outfield defender.

If Yelich is still a Brewer over the next few seasons, it'll be as a DH to make room for Frelick - then if Chourio continues his progression at least one of those three young OFs gets dealt to make room for him.

It sucks to trade away pre-arbitration talent, but on the other hand it's great to actually have organizational depth of high-impact talent to make that an option - something any small market organization should strive for.

[Jake McKibbin]

Another interesting stat is that Joey Wiemer has the best "outfield jump" so far this year

[edfunderburk]

16 hours ago, Brewcrew82 said:

Except Yelich has a full no trade clause..

Oh I know … he’s not a trade candidate for that reason alone

However - it will be interesting to see if they will bench him OR limit him to X # of games once these other young players (Frelick & Chourio) arrive & develop a bit more

It is sad that he will likely play simply because of his salary … six years & $162M remaining I believe … mercy 🥴

[jay87shot]

Winker has been great but maybe it would be easiest to move him and put Yeli at DH. Moving Yeli is just going to be tricky maybe he waves the no trade to a Cali team but the Dodgers and A's would never take him. The Giants don't have any bad contracts and the Angels probably don't want any more long term contracts if they want to keep Ohtani. Although Rendon for Yeli is intriguing (I think we would pass).

[MrTPlush]

20 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

Winker has been great but maybe it would be easiest to move him and put Yeli at DH. Moving Yeli is just going to be tricky maybe he waves the no trade to a Cali team but the Dodgers and A's would never take him. The Giants don't have any bad contracts and the Angels probably don't want any more long term contracts if they want to keep Ohtani. Although Rendon for Yeli is intriguing (I think we would pass).

If Winker/Mitchell/Weimer are all hitting well there is little to no chance anyone is moved/traded. Trading a productive bat banking on some guy with zero MLB ABs is not a wise idea. 

Really, all three could easily be on the team come the second half. Frelick could get starting ABs just rotating around the three OF spots and DH. Not like a 4th OFer doesn't typically pile up opportunities. 

[Brewcrew82]

1 minute ago, MrTPlush said:

If Winker/Mitchell/Weimer are all hitting well there is little to no chance anyone is moved/traded. Trading a productive bat banking on some guy with zero MLB ABs is not a wise idea. 

Really, all three could easily be on the team come the second half. Frelick could get starting ABs just rotating around the three OF spots and DH. Not like a 4th OFer doesn't typically pile up opportunities. 

Yeah, if any one's going to get traded, it would be Taylor. A contending club, which we appear to be, doesn't trade right from the very top of its batting order. 

[wallus]

48 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

Winker has been great but maybe it would be easiest to move him and put Yeli at DH. Moving Yeli is just going to be tricky maybe he waves the no trade to a Cali team but the Dodgers and A's would never take him. The Giants don't have any bad contracts and the Angels probably don't want any more long term contracts if they want to keep Ohtani. Although Rendon for Yeli is intriguing (I think we would pass).

The way things are setting up is really looking like Yelich will be the DH next season.

[wibadgers23]

2 minutes ago, wallus said:

The way things are setting up is really looking like Yelich will be the DH next season.

I was surprised he wasn't DH this year but with Winker on the team, it makes sense.  Yelich will almost certainly be DH next year.

[edfunderburk]

23 hours ago, Brewcrew82 said:

Yeah, if any one's going to get traded, it would be Taylor. A contending club, which we appear to be, doesn't trade right from the very top of its batting order. 

SUGGESTION: Trade Voit, move Yeli into a bench role (LF, DH, 1B), & promote Frelick to bat lead off & play LF majority of time 

It’s possible that if he sits on the bench long enough this year, Yeli may be open to a “fresh start” trade in the offseason with Milwaukee paying 1/2 his salary just to get him off the roster & keep from trading any of the future OFs - Chourio, Frelick, Garrett, & Wiemer

I know I’m the only one with this opinion & everyone’s response is: “That will never happen” … that may be true, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t happen OR that it wouldn’t be the best plan for the Brewers moving forward

If Yeli was a Met or a Dodger - Would he be released with the team simply absorbing the salary, acknowledging that it is a bad contract? 

It will never make sense to me to “play him everyday” just because we signed him to a contract that proved to be a mistake

Yeli’s arm is a noodle & his bat is subpar … he runs well, gets on base pretty well, & is a “good teammate” - otherwise, he adds no value to this potential WS team

[rickh150]

I think his place in the order should still be at the top because I do not see obvious candidates that can get on base more than him. That’s maybe shaky ground with all these youngsters hitting well, but it is better for them hitting without the added pressure the top spots bring.

[TURBO]

I'm on board for transitioning Yelich to a 1B/DH role when needed.  Just too much talent in our young outfielders to have Yelich clog them up.

At minimum, Yelich needs to start playing some 1B next season, so hopefully they start playing him there next spring training, if not before.  I'd hate to use his bat at DH or 1B, but sadly, he is going to have to play someplace.  I know some of you think we are willing to bench him, but I don't see us benching a 26 million dollar man.

It would be nice he he would get hot for an extended period of time before the deadline so there might be a 10% chance we could move him.  More than likely though, if he shows that kind of improvement, and is helping the team, we wouldn't trade him then either.  Might have to be in the off season, so if he could get hot the second half of the season, that would be great.

[tmwiese55]

Yelich has been in the ballpark of 750 OPS the last few years since his fall off.  Of course that's disappointing and not worthy of his pay but that's roughly an average one for an every day player.  It's not like he's just awful unplayable level that you'd cut him, since you're paying the money anyway.  Chances are a .750 ops is better than your 4/5th OF.   For example, Yelich was higher than Taylor.  And he was like .15 in OPS below Rowdy.   If he can at least stay in the 750-800 world and not be awful he's still a contributing player, its just that he's paid way too much. 

[Outlander]

That's pretty much it, he is productive but overpaid. I think sometimes fans believe overpaid players can't be productive. It doesn't make sense to make him a bench player because there are worse hitters on the team. Doesn't mean he should hit third against lefties and play every single day but we don't have to go to extremes either. It would certainly give the team roster and financial flexibility if they could trade him but probably not reasonable to think that will happen. The Brewers got a nice short term DH in Winker this year but I imagine Yelich will play quite a bit of DH in 2024 enabling Frelick to play plenty of OF at the major league level.