Which MLB Players Best Describe Sal Frelick?

Despite that superb performance, he’s in Nashville right now, awaiting his shot – collateral damage from the Kolten Wong trade that cleared space for fellow top prospect Brice Turang, who we discussed earlier because the return included DH/OF Jesse Winker.

Like Turang, Frelick is not quite a clone of some past or current stars, he’s a bit of a hybrid, but a very obvious comparison can be made from the get-go.

Ichiro Suzuki
The similarities between Frelick and Ichiro are quite noticeable. Both are outfielders with superb defense, hit for a high average, and can swipe a lot of bags. Add in Ichiro’s NPB stats, and the comparison becomes somewhat stronger. Frelick is a classic leadoff hitter who could contend for a batting title. But the comparison breaks down into one key area.

Unlike Ichiro, though, Frelick has shown a solid ability to coax walks over his minor-league career. That ability didn’t quite show up as strongly in the WBC and spring training in 2023, but it is nice to know that Frelick has that capacity. But who could it be comparable to if the walk drawing doesn’t come from Ichiro?

Paul Molitor
Frelick’s walk drawing ability seems to be reminiscent of another iconic player, the Ignitor himself. To be precise, we’re talking the Paul Molitor from 1987 to the end of his career in 1998 when he averaged as many walks as strikeouts. Frelick’s career minor-league totals (as of the morning of April 5) of 158 games, 745 plate appearances, and a .327/.403/.473 slash line, 36 doubles, ten triples, 13 homers, 38 steals, and 76 walks are comparable to the average of Molitor’s 1991-1992 seasons.

That said, the Molitor comparison does break down because, in the later years, Molitor was more of an RBI threat and flashed much more power than Frelick seems to show. Frelick, who is 5’10” and 182 pounds, gives up a couple of inches to Molitor (6’, 185 pounds) in height and is built a bit more like Ichiro (5’11”, 175 pounds).

Other Comparisons
If you want to talk about other comparisons for Frelick, it is hard to ignore three former Brewers: Lorenzo Cain, Carlos Gomez, and Nori Aoki. Cain, like Frelick, offers speed and a good ability to hit for contact while also providing excellent defense. That said, Cain’s ability to draw walks was nowhere near what Frelick offered. Gomez was a superb defender with speed, but he didn’t have Frelick’s ability to hit for contact or draw walks. Aoki was a contact hitter with speed, and some OBP skills, who primarily played corner outfield positions.

Overview
Frelick’s floor is probably that of Nori Aoki, but with the ability to play defense at a near-Gold Glove level in center field. Not a horrible outcome and extremely valuable, but that is the floor. The ceiling is more akin to that Ichiro/Ignitor hybrid, a regular threat to provide double figures in doubles, triples, homers, and steals while walking 65-70 times a season and hitting .300. Truly a special player and one who the Crew should consider extending as soon as possible.

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