We need to show Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick more love

The Milwaukee Brewers outfielders have received a lot of praise this year, and that shouldn’t be surprising considering the team has a lot of talented players.

Christian Yelich is obviously getting a lot of love. He’s a former MVP (should have been twice, but we’ve already discussed that) and after a couple of down seasons by his standards, he’s starting to be himself again. His performance even earned him a spot in this year’s All-Star game.

Jackson Chourio is also highly regarded. The rookie phenom battled his way through the minor leagues and earned a long-term contract before even playing a major league game. And after struggling a bit earlier in the year, the 20-year-old has recently started to live up to high expectations.

Blake Perkins has also received a lot of praise. His numbers may not be stellar, but he has put in some good performances on offense at various points this season and has made numerous standout plays while on the field.

Then you have Sal Frelick. Don’t get me wrong, the 24-year-old has plenty of admirers among Brewers fans. But it often feels like he doesn’t get nearly as much attention as his fellow outfielders, not to mention many other players on the team. And that’s surprising considering how well he’s performed this season.

Of all the players Brewers manager Pat Murphy has used in his outfield, Frelick is the most played outfielder this season with 87 games and ranks fourth in games played of any player on the team, so Murphy obviously has a lot of confidence in Frelick to go out there day in and do his job.

In general, that trust has been well rewarded. Frelick has hit a very solid .275/.349/.354 in his 87 games this year. Both his batting average and on-base percentage rank fourth on the team among players with at least 50 at-bats this season.

Frelick also ranks well on the team in a number of other offensive categories. With 43 runs scored, he ranks fifth on the team, just two runs less than Brice Turang, who has started first more times than anyone else on the team and gets on base often himself. Frelick is also fourth on the team with 13 doubles and third on the team with 14 steals.

It’s hard to say why Frelick has flown a little under the radar in 2024. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t hit home runs or bring home many runners. Maybe it’s because he’s mostly batted 5th through 7th in the lineup, not exactly one of the best spots in the batting order. Maybe it’s just because he’s still new to much of the fan base, being in his second season.

Whatever the reason, Frelick is a big reason why the Brewers have been so successful this season, so next time you get a chance, show him the love he deserves.