Wrote an Anthony Santander sleeper last year, and he’s still kinda asleep. I wrote a Cedric Mullins sleeper a few years ago, and he woke, then went back to sleep for his draft season. Wrote a Taylor Ward sleeper last year and loved him so freakin’ much, and he’s a sleeper still, because he disappointed. That is a few outfielders who come to mind that I saw being drafted late: Noted they were sleepers, but chose to ignore them because I had been there before. I don’t want to go over the same guys again. Think that gets as stale to read as it is to write. With that said (HA!), here’s what Itch said about Sal Frelick previously, ““(Frelick is a) hit machine. Walked (8.8%) more than he struck out (7.4%) in 46 games at Triple-A, slashing .365/.435/.508 with four home runs and nine stolen bases. I have no idea why he didn’t get called up last year, and I’d like to call up a hit man to take out you-know-who.” C’mon man! Frelick was in the Itch’s top 25 fantasy baseball prospects. Also, Hobbs wrote a whole post about his Sal Frelick fantasy, he said (here I’m paraphrasing, because it was a whole post that you should read), “Sal Frelick is going to be a star…He is my top college prospect primed to break out in 2023 (yes, as a rookie). Previously, Frelick was my top collegiate position player in that draft. And back in May 2020, I dug deeper into Frelick than John Angelos at his own funeral.” Then, in 2020, he wrote, “Truthfully, I think Frelick’s ceiling is a top three college player in the 2021-2022 draft classes. I can see the potential for 25-25 production in him in the Bigs. Hey, if I never went out on a limb, why would you keep reading? Funny thing about the metaphor of going out on a limb: if you’re wrong, the branch snaps and you fall to your death – but what happens in that metaphor when you’re right?” Yo, I thought I loved Sal Frelick. I have some competition here. So, what can we expect from Sal Frelick for 2024 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?
PSYCHE! I began to roll out my 2024 fantasy baseball rankings on the Patreon. Don’t wait for the rankings to come out next month. Anyway II, the Sal Frelick sleeper:
The funniest is I started this Sal Frelick sleeper post as I start all my sleeper posts, “Hmm, let’s see what others at Razzball have said,” and I was greeted by so much. There’s enough here for Sal Frelick and Saalfrank. By the way, Diamondbacks’ reliever, Saalfrank, sounds like two guys from Staten Island. Any hoo! Frelick stole 44 bags in 58 attempts over 197 minor league games. He swiped 38 in 46 career college attempts, according to Hobbs, but not sure why he’d lie. He, this time Sal not Hobbs, went on to steal seven bags in the majors in seven attempts. The speed is easy. Prolly 35-steal speed, but in the go-go 20’s, he might get 40 steals.
The power, sadly, is good too! Here’s a bomb:
Sal Frelick’s second career homer ?
The Brewers are pouring it on!!
?: FOX pic.twitter.com/b7ITdPoOL4
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 4, 2023
Does that look like a guy who will struggle for power? Doesn’t to me, here’s another:
Sal Frelick’s 1st career homer is a clutch one! pic.twitter.com/7685DQQTFM
— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2023
That seems kinda easy power too. In his small sample of MLB games, he didn’t hit a ton of fly balls, and he’s never hit for a high HR/FB. The Launch Angle and Ground Ball Rate sorta tell a similar story. He might get into some homers, but he’s not a home run hitter. At his peak of powers, I could see 25-30 homers, but that’s gonna take some heavy lifting on lots of plate appearances or a change in approach. He’s only 23 years old, though, so maybe he becomes a left-handed Jose Altuve.
The average is going to be great too. Yup, another attribute. Sal Frelick had a 12.6% BB% and 16.6% K% in 57 major leagues games as a rookie. That’s absurd. What’s he, Steven Kwan but with actual power? Luis Arisingstar? I could see him having a higher walk rate than strikeout rate in his first full MLB season, while batting 2nd or 3rd. That from a guy who is being drafted barely in the last round of 12-team leagues? These sleepers are getting better not worse? My God. I’m in Horntown, population, Everyone drafting Sal Frelick. For 2024 fantasy, I’ll give Sal Frelick projections of 88/16/70/.283/32 in 587 ABs with a chance for much more.
