Mack's Top Draft Prospects - #5 - OF - Sal Frelick

 

Sal Frelick

Mack's spin - 

Frelick is a greta player, but if you told me going into this mock season that the top outfielder would stand only 5-9, I would have bet the house you were wrong.

Great hitter but no Mike Trout.

 

OF      5-9     175     Boston College

 

2021 stat line as of 5-14 - 45-G, 184-AB, .359, 6-HR

 

5-6-21 - MLB - 5-6 Mock Draft-

 

13. Phillies: Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College

 

This might be the floor for Frelick, whom many clubs believe will fit in the top 10 but aren't sure where. He's quicker but smaller and less powerful than Cowser. 

 

4-29-21 - Baseball Prospect Report mock 3.0 -

 

7. Kansas City Royals: Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College

 

Frelick profiles as a top-of-the-order hitter due to his strong plate disciple and ability to hit for average and power. He also is athletic and possesses above-average speed, which he uses to impact the game on the base pads and defensively in the outfield. Frelick has unique versatility on defense with experience playing second base, shortstop, third base, and outfield during the fall and spring seasons at Boston College.

  

4-26-21 - mlb.com mock draft -

 

7) Royals: Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College

 

Some worry about Frelick’s size (he’s 5-foot-9), but he’s hit consistently and shown he can play center field longterm. 

 

4-22-21 - pipeline podcast mock -

 

8) Rockies (Mayo): Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College -- He has the chance to be a plus hitter with an advanced approach, with his plus speed helping him on the basepaths and in center field.

  

4-19-21 - TTF - Mock 2.0 -

 

10. New York Mets: Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College

 

Frelick’s season just keeps getting better and better. Could he be a top-five pick? Hard to say. I believe he’s worthy of it. At first glance, it’s hard to predict what Frelick’s career will become. He’s a smaller player with a lot of pop. Will this pop translate well in the Bigs? Hard to say. Will he find a niche as a fielder/runner instead? Still, hard to say. If we’re talking hitting, the further the season moves along, the more legit Frelick appears. The Mets traded away Jared Kelenic, something I think they’ll regret in the long run, I believe. Drafting Frelick will inject some advanced hitting into their system again, before the bottom drops out. 

 

4-15-21 - BA -

 

Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College

 

In a year in which not many upper-tier college hitters have distinguished themselves from the pack at the top of the draft, Frelick has been an exception, ranking as the No. 6 prospect for the draft. A 5-foot-9, 175-pound center fielder, Frelick is hitting .360/.438/.576 with 16 walks and 15 strikeouts through 144 plate appearances, putting himself in the mix to be a top-10 overall pick. Frelick is an explosive, bursty athlete with 70 speed, getting home to first consistently in 4.0 seconds from the left side, sometimes in the high 3.9 seconds. He has shown solid defensive instincts to be able to handle center field, showing a fringy-to-average arm in these looks with good accuracy.

 

Frelick has a fairly simple, direct and quick swing from the left side without much movement. He has good hand-eye coordination with a small strike zone and he mostly stays within that zone, with the bat-to-ball skills to be able to put the ball in play even when he does chase. Frelick does a good job of going with where the ball is pitched, as he can pull his hands inside a pitch up and in and is adept at serving pitches on the outer half the opposite way. Frelick has quick hand speed and sneaky pull power for his size, but it's more occasional home run power that grades out below-average.

 

With the way Frelick's swing works, he does most of his damage when pitchers attack him from the thighs up, showing the ability to drive and elevate those balls, but he can run into issues with pitches in the lower tier of the strike zone or below. He doesn't put his "A" swing on those pitches, especially against soft stuff down. Frelick still has the hand-eye coordination to serve the ball into play, but it usually leads to a ground ball and him relying on his 70-grade wheels to put pressure on the defense.

 

That last part is somewhat nitpicking a high first-round pick who should be one of the top college hitters off the board. If everything clicks for Frelick, he can be a spark plug at the top of a lineup while playing a premium position.

  

4-14-21 - MLB

 

Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College

 

Frelick entered the spring as an interesting but smaller (5-foot-9) college performer, one who maybe would go at the back end of the first round. But after posting a .360/.438/.576 line over his first 30 games in 2021 while showing he can play center field, the outfielder’s name has risen in conversations to the top third of the opening round. His advanced approach -- he’s drawn more walks than strikeouts in his college career -- extra-base authority and plus speed, not to mention his plus makeup have made him a scout favorite and his strong performance stands in contrast with a lot of college hitters who have struggled. 

 

4-5-21 - Tyler Jennings @TylerJennings24

 

Sal Frelick (BC) - One of the best college bats in this class. Might have a small frame, but packs a punch. Plenty of bat speed in his swing and utilizes all fields with some pop. Quick athlete, 4.05 H-1st. Good defense in CF, too. Top ten talent

  

4-2-21 -  Through The Fence -

 

21. Chicago Cubs: Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College

 

I expect to move Frelick within the top-10 in weeks to come, if he keeps performing the way he has. Out of all the college studs mocked in this draft before him, Frelick is the only one performing the best at the dish right now. In 46 at-bats he’s hitting .476/.537/.826. 

 

4-2-21 - Joe Doyle @JoeDoyleMiLB

 

Sal Frelick's bat speed is undeniable. The swing is short, compact and direct to the ball. Hard not to be confident this is going to play at the big league level

 

4-2-21 - Tyler Jennings  @TylerJennings24

 

To set up the Morissette RBI, Frelick went opposite field with a fly ball down the line. Left fielder misplayed the ball and Frelick was already around second once it dropped. Love the short swing he has

  

3-30-21 - Prospects Worldwide -

 

12. OF Sal Frelick | School: Boston College | B / T: L / R | Ht: 5’9 | Wt: 175lbs | Age: 21.2

 

A spark plug, top of the order bat with good hitability, pitch recognition, and plate discipline. A fantastic approach at the plate not striking out much at all and drawing a good amount of walks. Shows an ability to handle the high fastball with ease. With an Above-average Hit Tool that has a pretty good chance at Plus with very strong hitability line to line. And some pop that should see him tapping 9-13 HR per season. Defensively, Frelick is a Plus Defender at all 3 OF positions, fitting in best in CF to utilize his impressive 70 grade Speed and run down balls in the gaps others simply cannot. With a league-average Arm. Frelick shouldn’t have many issues carving out a lengthy big-league career due to his ability to impact the game in a number of ways. Similar to Brett Gardner with slightly more upside. 

 

3-18-21 - Bleacher Nation -

 

College Hitters - The One I Dream About Falling to 21: Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College. The college hitter class seems not great this year, with a lot of struggles from some of the buzzier preseason names (Louisville’s Alex Binelas, Arkansas’ Christian Franklin, even Florida’s Jud Fabian). This has probably allowed for Frelick to jump firmly into the top 15, which is not the place you’d usually expect to find a 5-foot-9 outfielder. But I have to tell you: I love this kid’s swing, particularly the bat speed that I think won’t be overwhelmed at even the highest level. 

 

3-12-21 - royals review -

 

Since the summer, Sal Frelick started to take his game to the next level. Ticketed to play in the Cape Cod League, he had to take his game back to the Futures League after Covid shutdown the Cape season. He started the season there with a 17 game hitting streak which helped him put up a season line of .398/.473/.592 with three home runs in 24 games. Those numbers earned him League Top Prospect honors while showing a power uptick. That power has carried over to the college season with four home runs in his first 11 games after hitting just six in his first 54. His home run on Sunday against Auburn tied up the game after BC had started the inning trailing 9-1, eventually helping his team secure a series victory over the SEC school.

 

That power was the last aspect of the game that he needed. Now he looks like the full package with a gamer’s mentality, speed, power, and instincts. Before the season, the #7 pick may have been a stretch for Frelick, but if he continues as he has early in the season, the Royals could be lucky if he gets there.