This story was excerpted from Adam McCalvy’s Brewers Beat publication. To learn the total publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it commonly in your inbox.
MILWAUKEE — During his first month within the Majors, Brewers rookie outfielder (and one-time hockey participant) Sal Frelick made leaping, diving, wall-banging catches so routinely that the staff’s major outfield teacher, Quintin Berry, has already developed a routine for these harrowing moments.
“It’s refreshing to see, however it’s additionally just a little nerve-wracking. You don’t need him to fiddle and get harm, however that’s what makes Sal so particular. He sees a ball, he’s going to go to the ball and get it. I do know his pitchers recognize that, too.
“Any time he’s going really hard one way or the other, especially if Joey [Wiemer] is involved, I usually put my head down. I’ll find out what happened after.”
There have been loads of highlights for Berry to view after, most not too long ago on Saturday evening in Texas when Frelick made a nifty catch on the center-field wall to finish the center recreation of the Brewers’ sweep. But no play was as harmful because the one Frelick made earlier on the journey in Chicago, when he crossed the foul line and leaped into the stands down the right-field line to make a sensational catch within the netting at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“I knew I had to catch it before it hit the net,” Frelick mentioned.
Frelick chalked up that play, and most of his notable performs up to now, to instincts. But there’s additionally preparation concerned. Besides learning up on all the new pitchers they’re encountering this season, rookies Frelick and Wiemer should be taught the outfield intricacies of every ballpark they go to, whereas Turang and Andruw Monasterio carry out an identical research of the pace of every infield.
It was that work in batting apply that helped Frelick make the play in Chicago — together with the assistance of a fan. It occurred so quick that you just may need missed it, however a person on the opposite facet of the online truly supplied a useful shove together with his elbow, propelling Frelick again onto the sector so he might get the baseball again to the infield.
Look even nearer, and also you’ll see the person was sporting a Brewers jersey.
“I flung back out,” Frelick mentioned. “Great assist.”
“I didn’t notice that,” Berry mentioned of the play. “I just saw him pop out real smooth and get the ball back in.”
Frelick mentioned he spends most of his time previous to a sequence learning the wall to find out how a ball would possibly carom. His new house ballpark, American Family Field, is likely one of the more durable venues for that, particularly in proper area on the celebration space with its alternating padding and chain-link fence.
Each day, he mentioned, is a studying expertise. And moderately than research scouting experiences or video, he’s a participant who learns by doing.
“Every player is different but I’ve always been on the low end of information wanted,” Frelick mentioned. “There’s so much. I’m still learning what works for me, and I want less than more as I figure that out. It’s more instincts. That’s always how it’s always been.”
He’s shortly gaining expertise. Tuesday’s sequence opener in opposition to the Twins marks one month since Frelick was promoted to the Majors, and he’ll graduate from MLB Pipeline prospect standing — he’s No. 2 within the Brewers’ Top 30, and No. 22 total for the time being — when he surpasses 45 days of MLB service.
So far, so good. Frelick has an .809 OPS by way of his first 98 plate appearances, with many of the injury coming at house. He has 1.208 OPS, and 6 of his seven extra-base hits up to now have come at American Family Field. The Brewers play 21 of their closing 37 regular-season video games at house.
“You can see in his at-bats, those are seasoned at-bats,” Berry mentioned. “Those are not the at-bats of a dude who has a year and a half [of pro baseball] under his belt. He has an approach, he stays in the approach, he never looks overmatched.”
Content Source: www.mlb.com