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Brewers' Sal Frelick looks like a different player at the start of spring training

Eric Cole
Eric Cole

Reviewing The Brew

Wild Card Series - New York Mets v Milwaukee Brewers - Game 3 / Patrick McDermott/GettyImages

This is the time of year when all players, including the Milwaukee Brewers, talk about how great they feel coming into the season. The phrase "best shape of my life" is commonplace and that makes sense as players haven't had the grind of the season put on their bodies just yet. In theory, EVERY player should be feeling the freshest they will all season because they have been able to rest unless they are dealing with injuries.

We also hear about players who have done a bit extra during the offseason. Whether it is adding another pitch to an arsenal or overhauling a swing, spring training is where we usually these changes for the first time for better or worse.

Sal Frelick has taken that to the extreme heading into the 2025 season. Coming off a season where Frelick won a Gold Glove and posted a .655 OPS while being banged up, Frelick wanted to put himself in a better physical position to withstand a long season. It looks like he has done just that as he has come into camp with 25 pounds of added muscle on his frame.

Sal Frelick's offseason "gains" could pay off massively for the Brewers in 2025

Assuming that all of the added muscle is actually useful muscle, this could be a big deal for Frelick. While Frelick is a tremendous defender who possesses strong bat-to-ball skills, his batted ball profile last year was pretty concerning with bottom-of-the-scale average exit velocity, barrel percentage, and hard hit percentage. The end result was a guy that made contact, but did little damage with that contact and some added strength should, in theory, give a needed boost to Frelick's power.

There are some potential downsides for the talented Brewers outfielder. Adding that sort of weight, even if it is healthy weight, is likely to take his top of the scale speed down a peg. That could hinder is upside in the field (which is significant) and make him a bit easier to rein in on the base paths.

If the cost to his agility and speed is marginal, then Milwaukee is likely to be thrilled with the result. Given his defense and speed, the offensive bar Frelick has to clear is relatively low. If he can be a guy that hits 10-15 homers and barrel the ball up more overall, Frelick quickly becomes a high tier, everyday player. If the added muscle does end up adding some thunder to his bat, there is a real chance that this change could actually make him a worse (albeit less fragile) player this coming season.

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Eric Cole

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.