Why Sal Frelick's Infield Experiment Could End in the Regular Season

[Jack Stern]

The Brewers seem serious about making Sal Frelick a part-time infielder, but that doesn’t mean it will become a regular-season reality.

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Since the Brewers revealed at the beginning of spring training that Sal Frelick would receive reps as an infielder in exhibition play, there’s been more and more evidence suggesting the club wants him to be a legitimate option at third base--rather than an in-case-of-emergency choice.

Frelick has appeared in five games at third base this spring, and made his third Cactus League start at the hot corner on Wednesday. Our own Matthew Trueblood reported last week that Frelick is working diligently at third base, with the apparent goal of being a trustworthy option, not someone who can stand there in a pinch. He wouldn’t get this many reps there unless the club was at least somewhat serious about the move.

The preferred plan for the position player mix seems to involve Frelick playing a decent amount of third base. Whether it comes to fruition in the regular season is a different matter.

Things rarely unfold throughout a 162-game season the way players, coaches, and executives draw them up beforehand. The Brewers have been one of the best teams in the National League over the last decade, largely because they plan for this. By building deep and versatile rosters, the club has kept chugging along when circumstances force them to deviate from the original vision.

The emphasis on versatility is partially why the Brewers are grooming Frelick as a part-time third baseman. However, things playing out differently from the preferred plan is more likely to keep Frelick out of the infield than force him onto the dirt.

In a perfect world, the Brewers receive strong production throughout their crowded collection of outfielders, leaving Pat Murphy with more reliable players than available playing time. Shifting Frelick to the infield would alleviate that logjam and give the Brewers their best offensive lineup.

However, it’s far more likely that the club receives capable offense from half its outfielders than from all of them. The outfield is deep but filled with offensive question marks.

As I discussed earlier this week, Garrett Mitchell’s swing has holes that leave him vulnerable to elevated velocity. Joey Wiemer made substantial improvements to his setup and swing over the winter, but must prove he can wait back on breaking pitches. Jackson Chourio figures to start in center field on Opening Day, but has 24 regular-season plate appearances above Double-A.

Frelick’s lack of home run power gives him a lower ceiling than his teammates, but he has a higher floor. In addition to his excellent speed and defense, he boasts superb plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills. He projects as one of Milwaukee’s most reliable outfielders in 2024.

The other key variable, of course, is the team's mix of infielders. There, too, there is considerable uncertainty, but a bevy of viable options. If Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang, and Oliver Dunn each continue to impress Pat Murphy and perform well, the need for infield reinforcement might not be nearly as great as seemed possible when we first learned of this experiment. That's to say nothing of Andruw Monasterio, Owen Miller, or Tyler Black. Things could break the other way, but right now, that group feels as crowded as the outfield does.

As one examines the construction of this Brewers roster, it becomes clear that Frelick’s best fit remains in the outfield. Barring several injuries in the infield, don’t expect to see him defending on the dirt with any regularity.

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[eddiemathews]

Rational thought has no place in spring training conjecture.

[notimelikenow]

if they truly carry 3 catchers and Bauers that would mean only 1 backup infielder - they would need an outfielder to be ready to fill in. except if they do not carry a true 4th outfielder and depend on someone like Miller to fill in until they drop they third catcher

[sveumrules]

12 minutes ago, notimelikenow said:

if they truly carry 3 catchers and Bauers that would mean only 1 backup infielder - they would need an outfielder to be ready to fill in. except if they do not carry a true 4th outfielder and depend on someone like Miller to fill in until they drop they third catcher

Welcome to the site!!

[SandyTolan]

1 hour ago, eddiemathews said:

Rational thought has no place in spring training conjecture.

Hi Eddie!  Are you gone from BCB for good?  We miss you over there.  (And I promise not to stalk you!!! :) )

[Kripes - Brewers]

I mean, who isn't rooting for Ollie and Sal?! I'm not enamored with power numbers - I'd prefer contact guys who drive the ball. Both of these dudes do that, and not just to their pull side. Homers are great, but to maximize their impact on a game, you need guys on base in front of those bashers, and these are the guys that can do that. Anyone can go up there and strike out. What I'd like to see is guys who are selective and know what they are looking for. Take a lot of pitches; make the pitchers work. Get deep into counts so they get tired, anxious and make mistakes (not only for you, but the guys behind you).

[monty57]

Versatility is a good thing. I think of how Maddon used Zobrist with the Rays and then the Cubs. He was a solid but not spectacular talent, but his versatility made him very valuable. He later started moving Bryant from 3B to corner OF.

This versatility allows for more pinch-hitting opportunities and defensive upgrades. Frelick is an outstanding OF defender, so I would expect that he'll play good defense on the infield. This could allow things like starting him in the OF with a poor defensive IF. As the game goes on, Frelick could be moved to the IF, bringing in one of our other good defensive OF, improving defense late in games.

It certainly gives him an advantage when determining which of the young guys heads to Milwaukee out of spring training, and which head to the minors. I would guess that he'll get PT all over the field this year, allowing Murphey to play the matchups he likes. 

[eddiemathews]

1 hour ago, SandyTolan said:

Hi Eddie!  Are you gone from BCB for good?  We miss you over there.  (And I promise not to stalk you!!! :) )

I lurk now and then. After all, I got nothin' but time. At this point in life, any attention is good...stalking or otherwise. I guess I prefer the folks running a site to give a crap.

[eddiemathews]

1 hour ago, notimelikenow said:

if they truly carry 3 catchers and Bauers that would mean only 1 backup infielder - they would need an outfielder to be ready to fill in. except if they do not carry a true 4th outfielder and depend on someone like Miller to fill in until they drop they third catcher

Still figure Sanchez on the IL to open the season...probably for the first month. 

[Bashopolis]

2 hours ago, SandyTolan said:

Hi Eddie!  Are you gone from BCB for good?  We miss you over there.  (And I promise not to stalk you!!! :) )

This is where all the cool kids hang now.  

[Bashopolis]

I tend to agree that there is more of an opportunity/likelihood that Frelick gets most of his playing time in the outfield. The outfield players seem to have a few more question marks than those lining up to play infield.  

[eddiemathews]

27 minutes ago, Bashopolis said:

I tend to agree that there is more of an opportunity/likelihood that Frelick gets most of his playing time in the outfield. The outfield players seem to have a few more question marks than those lining up to play infield.  

We expect more from the outfield bats. They have my permission to show improvement.

[Joseph Zarr]

How questionable and untrustworthy is Tyler Black's work at 3B (despite his gains and despite what us positive outlook Fanatics opine)?
 

<Insert a Sal Frelick Spring Training 3B experiment>

The Brewers are taking the conservative approach with Brock Wilken - and, why would we doubt their approach there? But, outside of the impeccable defensive work of utility man extraordinaire Ethan Murray; the admirable fill in work of Andruw Monasterio - not a natural 3B; and a possible (anything is possible) surprising next step at the dish for Patrick Dorrian (more than a competent step-in utility candidate at 3B), it is quite obvious Wilken is the future there. The Brewers are just trying to fill that gap in a net break even until that time. 

I look at Frelick's work at 3B as just another means to keep him in the line-up as they play around with exposing their young talent to consistent playing time. He'll do fine there because he's an incredible athlete and a heck of a baseball player.

[Bashopolis]

1 hour ago, eddiemathews said:

We expect more from the outfield bats. They have my permission to show improvement.

This is likely part of it.  The expectation is a little higher.  And with that and their less than stellar performance so far as MLB players, there is more upside potential.  A break out by any one of the outfield bats would be awesome!  

[Matthew Trueblood]

5 hours ago, Kripes - Brewers said:

I mean, who isn't rooting for Ollie and Sal?! I'm not enamored with power numbers - I'd prefer contact guys who drive the ball. Both of these dudes do that, and not just to their pull side. Homers are great, but to maximize their impact on a game, you need guys on base in front of those bashers, and these are the guys that can do that. Anyone can go up there and strike out. What I'd like to see is guys who are selective and know what they are looking for. Take a lot of pitches; make the pitchers work. Get deep into counts so they get tired, anxious and make mistakes (not only for you, but the guys behind you).

Yeah, I think Murph loves this very cluster of traits in both guys, too. Dunn's best defensive position might be 3B, too. I wonder if we could see:

-Dunn start at 3B, with Frelick in RF
-Someone like Wiemer or Sánchez pinch-hit for Dunn
-Frelick come in from RF to 3B, with Wiemer or Blake Perkins going to RF

fairly often. Sal did tell me we'd keep seeing him start games in OF and move to IF during Cactus League, and I think that's happened twice already. Seems like something he and Murph want to make sure is comfortable and familiar.

[Brewcrew82]

I think they want to start OD with a Yelich-Chourio-Mitchell alignment, with Sal at 2nd or 3rd. But whether it's maintained throughout the season is a different question. 

[eddiemathews]

1 hour ago, Brewcrew82 said:

I think they want to start OD with a Yelich-Chourio-Mitchell alignment, with Sal at 2nd or 3rd. But whether it's maintained throughout the season is a different question. 

vs a righty, I agree. Vs a lefty Joey will be in right. With Peralta on the mound they could go with Dunn at second and Sal at third as there are fewer groundballs, removing cinnamon. Or vs a lefty have Mono at third (if he makes the OD roster) and Ortiz at second.

[Sugarrayray]

9 hours ago, notimelikenow said:

if they truly carry 3 catchers and Bauers that would mean only 1 backup infielder - they would need an outfielder to be ready to fill in. except if they do not carry a true 4th outfielder and depend on someone like Miller to fill in until they drop they third catcher

There just is no way they do this. They love versatility. That would hamstring their versatility like crazy, not to mention that both Haase and Bauers are bad players.
 

Also carrying three catchers is strange enough, but three right handed catchers is absurd, especially as they have no switch hitters this year, as yet.

[Sugarrayray]

8 hours ago, Kripes - Brewers said:

I mean, who isn't rooting for Ollie and Sal?! I'm not enamored with power numbers - I'd prefer contact guys who drive the ball. Both of these dudes do that, and not just to their pull side. Homers are great, but to maximize their impact on a game, you need guys on base in front of those bashers, and these are the guys that can do that. Anyone can go up there and strike out. What I'd like to see is guys who are selective and know what they are looking for. Take a lot of pitches; make the pitchers work. Get deep into counts so they get tired, anxious and make mistakes (not only for you, but the guys behind you).

I agree with a lot of that but I just don’t see Dunn as a serious option right now. He struck a ton in double A last year. I think he needs some more seasoning in AAA before he’s making a lot of appearances in the bigs.

[SandyTolan]

On 3/7/2024 at 7:44 AM, eddiemathews said:

I lurk now and then. After all, I got nothin' but time. At this point in life, any attention is good...stalking or otherwise. I guess I prefer the folks running a site to give a crap.

Yeah, I get that, for sure.  But they hired two new guys recently.  And much more important, imho it's just not about the guys running the site.  It's also about the community.  Why not rejoin the conversation?  You are missed over there.  No reason we can't be part of both sites.

[SandyTolan]

On 3/7/2024 at 6:11 AM, sveumrules said:

Welcome to the site!!

 

On 3/7/2024 at 7:29 AM, monty57 said:

Versatility is a good thing. I think of how Maddon used Zobrist with the Rays and then the Cubs. He was a solid but not spectacular talent, but his versatility made him very valuable. He later started moving Bryant from 3B to corner OF.

This versatility allows for more pinch-hitting opportunities and defensive upgrades. Frelick is an outstanding OF defender, so I would expect that he'll play good defense on the infield. This could allow things like starting him in the OF with a poor defensive IF. As the game goes on, Frelick could be moved to the IF, bringing in one of our other good defensive OF, improving defense late in games.

It certainly gives him an advantage when determining which of the young guys heads to Milwaukee out of spring training, and which head to the minors. I would guess that he'll get PT all over the field this year, allowing Murphey to play the matchups he likes. 

 

You know, if the Frelick IF experiment is real (despite Jack's take), then he could be counted as both an IF and OF and that would possibly give them the flexibility to carry three catchers.

C Contreras, Sánchez, Haase

IF Hoskins, Bauers, Monasterio, Adames, Ortiz, (Frelick)

OF: Frelick, Wiemer, Yelich, Mitchell, Chourio

Turang and Dunn start in AAA. Then one comes up when they try to sneak Haase through waivers to Nashville.  Or maybe Sánchez starts on the DL and Turang sticks in Milwaukee.

[eddiemathews]

42 minutes ago, SandyTolan said:

Yeah, I get that, for sure.  But they hired two new guys recently.  And much more important, imho it's just not about the guys running the site.  It's also about the community.  Why not rejoin the conversation?  You are missed over there.  No reason we can't be part of both sites.

Yeah, well...I'll probably get bored and do that. Maybe I'll do alternate game threads for fun.