The Milwaukee Brewers have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to young talent. This is especially true in the outfield where they boast young stars Sal Frelick, Joey Wiemer, Garrett Mitchell, and Jackson Chourio. The only true veteran the Brewers have in the outfield is former National League MVP Christian Yelich.
In an effort to find more playing time for everyone, Milwaukee decided to have Frelick start practicing at third base, a position that the Brewers do not have a set starter yet. According to Sam Cannon of Sports Illustrated, Frelick had not played third base since a 2018 run with the Northshore Navigators of the Futures Collegiate League.
On Saturday, manager Pat Murphy decided to start Frelick at third base after a few days of practice. He also had him batting leadoff.
Milwaukee Brewers Outfielder Sal Frelick Held His Own at Third Base
The Brewers took on the San Diego Padres in their Cactus League opener, winning 11-7 in a game that saw first base prospect Wes Clarke mash two home runs. For his part, Frelick was 2-2 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored.
The big story for Frelick, though, was that he played a clean third base in his first game action at the hot corner in nearly six years. The first Padres hitter, Fernando Tatis Jr., hit one to third in San Diego’s first at-bat of the game. Frelick fielded it cleanly and threw him out.
Frelick also got a high bouncer later in the game that he also fielded cleanly. He was later replaced by prospect Brock Wilken.
Milwaukee Brewers Outfielder Sal Frelick Discusses Playing Third Base
Todd Rosiak of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel shared the following video on X (formerly Twitter) after the game:
Sal Frelick talks about his eventful Cactus League opener: pic.twitter.com/iIXhSIwO07
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) February 24, 2024
“Yeah, it felt good. Kind of knew the first was going to come to me, that’s just how baseball works. So I was pretty geared up for the first one. Luckily a nice big hop for me to help me get my feet wet. But yeah, it was fun.
“It was definitely different, but I had the same butterflies, though. Just for the first game. But definitely different. Like super close. Playing in the infield, you’re really close, and a lot of those guys hit the ball hard. So just a little more locked in on every pitch.”
Andruw Monasterio, who made his Major League debut with the Brewers last season, started 56 games at third base in 2023. Aside from him, Milwaukee does not have a true third baseman on its roster.
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