A strong defender in centerfield, Sal Frelick has the potential to be an every day leadoff hitter who provides value on both the offensive and defensive side of the game.
Sal Frelick Scouting Report
Height: 5′ 9″ | Weight: 175
Bats: Left | Throws: Right | Position: Outfield
Highest Ranking: 9th (Baseball America, ESPN, Fangraphs)
There are a lot of things to like about Sal Frelick. In an era with tons of strikeouts he makes a lot of contact. He has hit .345 in his career with Boston College over parts of three seasons, and he’s walked more often than he’s struck out. With his speed and contact ability mixed in with his hit tool, Frelick projects to hit for a high average as a professional. He show plus-plus speed which he can use on the bases and in center field. Still a bit new to the outfield, he’s made strides since moving from the dirt after high school and projects to play quality defense.
Where there is a little bit of question is just how much power he can develop. He’s only hit six home runs this year and only had six in his 251 plate appearances the previous two seasons, too. He’s more hit over power, and the questions about how many home runs he could eventually hit limits his upside a bit. There’s enough pop in his bat to where pitchers have to respect him, but he’s got below-average power potential by most accounts with fringe-average power being about as high of a grade as you’re going to see.
Sal Frelick College Stats
You can read all of the 2021 MLB Draft Scouting Reports here.
Sal Frelick Video
Basic Information
For this draft scouting report series we are going to look at prospects rated 6th through 50th in a cumulative ranking based on the Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, ESPN, and Fangraphs draft rankings. The guys in the top five seem to have no chance of dropping to Cincinnati at 17, so we’re skipping them to focus a little more on guys with more of a shot to be Reds. The national rankings are updated throughout the month leading up to the draft, so there could be some slight changes from when the cumulative list was compiled and when you read this.
The 2021 Major League Baseball Draft will begin on July 11th and end on July 13th, taking part over a three day period of time. The Cincinnati Reds will have selections 17, 30, 35, and 53 in the first two rounds of the draft. Despite not selecting in the top five, or even the top 10, the Reds have the 4th largest bonus pool allotment to work with due to their compensation pick from losing Trevor Bauer in free agency, as well as a competitive balance round A pick (35th) that adds a lot of additional pool money.
Seems like a safe pick in the late twenties to thirties. Not really interested in a low power outfielder in the first 2 rounds though.
No, I’ve seen him play, nothing to get excited about. This would be reminiscent of how we drafted in the 90’s and most of the 2000’s. This kid has peaked, no developmental upside, this is a down year for college hitters, so forcing a pick isn’t going to grow the farm system.
Jackson Jobe or Colton Cowser could be better choices if are available…