It took getting to the major leagues for Sal Frelick to finally bat cleanup.
The 23-year-old outfielder always hit first or second at Lexington High and Boston College. Even going back to Little League, he was the undersized kid whose job was to get on base in front of the power hitters.
But after Frelick went 3 for 3 with two RBIs in his major league debut July 22, Brewers manager Craig Counsell hit him cleanup the next day.
“I had to look twice at the lineup,” Frelick said. “I had literally never done it before. But they picked me for a reason. I know my role — put the ball in play with men on base.”
Frelick went 1 for 3 with a walk and scored a run in that game. Then he homered the next day.
Counsell now calls his rookie right fielder “The Hit Collector.”
None of this can be considered unexpected. Frelick was the 15th overall pick of the 2021 draft for a reason. But there were some obstacles.
Frelick tore a ligament in his left thumb the second week of the Triple A season and needed surgery. The injury happened April 18, the same day Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
If not for jamming his thumb sliding into second base, Frelick likely would have been called up then. Instead, he missed nearly two months.
“It felt like the season was starting over,” he said. “I tried not to think about what it meant in terms of getting called up. I just rehabbed as much as I could and I was able to get back sooner than they expected.”
The Brewers, 14th in the National League in scoring, needed help and summoned Frelick. He found out at 10:30 p.m. in Nashville and immediately called home.
His father, brother, and sister made it to Milwaukee for his debut. His mother, Patty, took one for the team and stayed home with their dog. She arrived the next day.
“It was so amazing to have them there,” Frelick said.
When Frelick signed in 2021, COVID protocols didn’t allow him to visit the ballpark. His debut marked his first time at American Family Field.
In addition to the three hits in his first game, Frelick made two outstanding catches in right field. Now he’s suddenly a key member of a team fighting for a playoff spot.
“We’re not getting production out of right field,” Counsell said. “We’re going to try to get more production out of right field and Sal’s going to get a shot to give us that.”
Pressure won’t be a problem. Frelick was a three-sport athlete at Lexington High, playing football, hockey, and baseball for four years. A dual-threat star quarterback, he initially planned to play football and baseball at BC but decided before his freshman year to focus on baseball.
“Playing three sports taught me to compete and be an athlete,” Frelick said. “I see kids specializing in one sport even before high school and it’s a mistake. College coaches want good athletes.
“I prided myself on being a competitor. I was never a showcase player. I was busy playing football and trying to win games. Then it was hockey. I feel like I’m still learning baseball.”
Frelick grew up a Red Sox fan, with Coco Crisp his first favorite player. That eventually became Dustin Pedroia because of their similar styles. Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy, who coached Pedroia at Arizona State, arranged a meeting during spring training.
“He’s my idol and I was able to sit down and chat with him,” Frelick said. “It was surreal. When Murph first met me, he said, ‘Undersized guy, kind of plays the game a little wired, I’m getting Pedey to talk to you.’ It was great.”
Frelick said the day-to-day grind of baseball has helped keep his emotions in check.
“You can’t sit on one day,” he said. “You wake up the next day and it’s right back at it. You have to forget what happened the previous day. I celebrated with my family when they were here, but that was really it.”
That has always been his way. When the pandemic shut down BC’s season in 2020, Frelick was at a loss. For the first time in his life, there were no games to play.
He helped organize workouts at Lexington High. One of his friends, Northeastern outfielder Ryan Cervone, had a Hack Attack pitching machine, and soon other players started showing up.
“We would hit all day,” Frelick said. “Eventually we had 15-20 kids there a day. College players, pro players from other states. Just ripping baseballs and having fun. We called it the Hack Attack League.”
Frelick put up big numbers at BC in 2021, soared up the draft charts, and now he’s a Brewer.
DECISION DUE
Red Sox, Verdugo in a waiting game
Alex Verdugo has one year of arbitration remaining, a point that typically leads to discussion about a contract extension.
Verdugo has made it clear he would welcome the opportunity for an extension because of course he would. He turns 28 next year and has two children. An extension at this stage of his career would be a life-changer.
Verdugo lives in Arizona but has found success in Boston and enjoys living in the suburbs with his family and commuting to Fenway Park.
“We like it here,” he said. “I’d love to stay, but that’s not up to me.”
It’s an interesting puzzle for the Sox. Verdugo has a .768 OPS in four seasons with the Sox but only 37 home runs. Still, he’s a well-above-average defender who puts the ball in play and stays off the injured list, all good qualities.
There are 24 outfielders who have played at least 400 games the last four seasons. Verdugo is third in plate appearances behind Juan Soto and Mookie Betts but 13th in bWAR and 16th in adjusted OPS. Good but not great.
Verdugo’s numbers are pretty close to what Andrew Benintendi had over four seasons before he agreed to a five-year, $75 million deal with the White Sox last winter.
Extensions are based on more than statistics. When the Red Sox signed Rafael Devers, Chaim Bloom spoke about the organization “trusting” the third baseman with that deal and how making that determination was important to the process.
That’s where it gets tricky for Verdugo. Alex Cora felt it necessary to publicly identify him as a player who needed to improve after the 2022 season. Calling him out worked, and Verdugo showed up at spring training in much better condition.
Then Cora benched Verdugo earlier this season for a lack of hustle. Coincidentally or not, Verdugo has been slumping since. He also was benched for two games this past week, which Cora termed a mental reset.
Verdugo said there have been no talks with the Sox. So maybe the easiest decision would be no decision at all — just let him play out 2024 to determine their next step. He could be motivated by impending free agency and have a big season.
The risk is that Verdugo could then choose free agency. But with the big picture still incomplete, that may be the best path.
A few other observations on the Red Sox:
▪ In retrospect, Cora acknowledged it was a mistake for Kiké Hernández to play in the World Baseball Classic.
With Hernández needing work at shortstop, he left Sox camp for 11 days to play center field for Puerto Rico.
“If we had to do it again, with all due respect to team Puerto Rico, if we can go back in time, he should have stayed with us and played shortstop in spring training,” Cora said.
“He’s a good defender and he hadn’t played that position for a while. Him playing center field [for Puerto Rico], it didn’t work out for the Red Sox.”
The WBC unquestionably has been good for baseball. But it’s not always the right thing for an individual player.
For the Dodgers, one condition of the trade was Hernández understanding he would have a limited role. He’ll likely play only against lefthanders.
▪ This is the 13th trade deadline Justin Turner has experienced. He’s never been traded during the season but has empathy when he sees teammates packing up.
“This is an exciting time of the year because of the deadline and the rumors,” Turner said. “One aspect that gets missed by a lot of people is usually when you’re bringing someone in that also means that someone is going somewhere else.
“As exciting as it can be, it’s also hard for a lot of people — players, a lot of friends, a lot of families — when they’re the ones being told they’re the one being moved.”
For Turner, it’s never easy.
“You develop relationships in [the clubhouse], you get to know guys,” he said. “Kiké is one of my best friends in the game. I’ve seen it a bunch . . . Sometimes we’re on a flight, sometimes we’re in the clubhouse. The older I get, the more sensitive I am to both sides of it.”
▪ The Sox signed righthander Chansol Lee to a $300,000 deal this past week. He was one of the top high school prospects in South Korea and would likely have been a first-round pick in the Korean Baseball Organization draft.
Daniel Kim, an expert on Korean baseball, offered a scouting report:
“His fastball velocity sat around 92-94 consistently. His secondary pitches need work, as is the case with most high school pitchers. I’d say he’s close to fifth-or sixth-round talent in the MLB draft. Very athletic and he repeats his delivery. With the right coaching and a good pitching program, I’d expect him to throw harder.”
According to Kim, high school talent in Korea is on the upswing. Lee is the first amateur the Red Sox have signed from the country since righthander Byung Yoo in 2002. He topped out at High A.
The Sox see Lee being able to get stronger, and they really like his splitter. They’ll also likely cut down on his five-pitch mix. They had three scouts see him play and felt his competitiveness in high school and international tournaments showed he would fare well against better competition.
▪ Tanner Houck has an odd souvenir in his locker. He kept the model made of his skull that doctors used to fashion the titanium plate that is now permanently embedded in his cheek.
The model shows that Houck suffered several fractures when he was hit by a line drive June 16. Other than a small scar on his cheek, he looks fine.
Houck has the skull hanging on a plastic chain.
“It’s for good luck,” he said.
ETC.
MLB has amended its gambling rules
At last count, 10 NFL players have been suspended for violating that league’s gambling policy. The latest was Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike this past week, indefinitely suspended for betting on games last season.
It’s a matter of time before Major League Baseball faces the same issue, which led to amending its gambling policy.
The Globe obtained a copy. Rule 21 (the one Pete Rose broke) remains in effect. Gambling on the game is prohibited in any form, as is gambling on events within games and even the Home Run Derby.
Players also cannot play fantasy baseball for money or assist anyone who does. FanDuel and DraftKings are specifically mentioned.
Players are allowed to place legal bets on other sports or play fantasy basketball, football, etc. for money.
Giving out information about injuries, lineups, or transactions to a person “who desires to exploit such information” is prohibited.
What’s interesting about that rule is that many MLB teams issue media passes or on-field passes to people who work in the gambling industry. There also are members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America who provide readers with gambling advice.
The BBWAA is forming a committee to examine how to proceed with gambling issues. MLB also is formulating a policy on credentialing.
Players are allowed to endorse any form of legalized gambling, including casinos. But they cannot recommend how to bet on any baseball game. In essence, a player can get paid to say, “Bet on the World Series,” but not to say, “Take the Rays to win the World Series.”
Players are obligated to report any violation of the policy to the commissioner’s office.
“Please be aware that violations of Major League Rule 21 or this policy may result in discipline up to and including permanent ineligibility from Major League and Minor League Baseball,” the league communicated to players.
Extra bases
In an era when so many teams are run by bloodless actuaries, it was refreshing to see the Angels pull Shohei Ohtani off the market, then trade for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López. Ohtani’s response was to throw a 111-pitch shutout in the first game of a doubleheader against the Tigers Thursday, then hit two home runs in the second game. There’s still a good chance this doesn’t work and Ohtani leaves as a free agent after the Angels miss the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. But isn’t it better to go down swinging trying to keep the best player in the game? . . . There is not much drama left in the draft. Teams generally select only players they know they can sign, evidenced by all but one player in the first 10 rounds agreeing to contracts. The outlier was UC Irvine outfielder Caden Kendle, who turned down the Cardinals after being the 305th pick. It was an odd choice considering Kendle will be a senior next season and have no leverage in negotiations. LSU stars Paul Skenes ($9.2 million from the Pirates) and Dylan Crews ($9 million from the Nationals) now have the two highest draft bonuses in history. Gerrit Cole ($8 million from the Pirates in 2011) had the record for nine years. That has since been surpassed five times . . . The Guardians signed ninth-round pick Jay Driver, who pitched at Harvard and Wellesley High. Driver is almost surely the only draft pick whose second sport in high school was Alpine skiing. He averaged 14.6 strikeouts per nine innings in the Cape Cod League last summer and impressed scouts with his slider. He took a slightly under-slot deal to start his pro career and should benefit by joining an organization that knows how to develop pitching . . . Did you know Jim Thorpe played the final year of his baseball career for the 1919 Boston Braves? The latest edition of the enjoyable Braves Historical Association Newsletter reports that a 32-year-old Thorpe hit .327 over 60 games. He played his final game Sept. 25, going 1 for 5. Thorpe grounded out to end a 14-2 loss to the New York Giants. Thorpe played in the minors another three years, including stops in Portland, Hartford, and a Single A team that played in Fitchburg and Worcester . . . The power of Big Papi: The Hall of Fame induction last Sunday drew a crowd estimated at 10,000. That was 25,000 fewer than last year . . . Happy birthday to Scott Fletcher, who is 65. The infielder had a 15-year career in the majors that included 184 games for the Red Sox from 1993-94. Fletcher was the regular second baseman in 1993 under Butch Hobson, then split time with Tim Naehring in ‘94.
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him @PeteAbe.