Frelick sounding better on career night at plate

Fully recovering from an injury means more than just returning to the field. For Sal Frelick, working his way back from thumb surgery in April has been an extended process.

The No. 17 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline, hit well upon his return to Triple-A Nashville in June, but he wasn’t able to tap into his usual power for the first month.

That appears to be changing, though. Frelick knocked in a career-high six runs in Thursday's 12-10 win over Jacksonville. The 2021 15th overall Draft pick homered, doubled twice and scored three runs.

"Sal's been progressing nicely," Sounds hitting coach Al LeBoeuf said. "I think tonight was a byproduct of the fruits of his labor. His body is getting synced up. The bat's going through the strike zone flat, and he's powering through the ball instead of spinning off of it. I'm proud of the work he did, and it's nice to see results."

Thumb injuries -- and hand injuries in general -- can have long-lasting effects on hitters. Any changes to their ability to grip a bat sap power, and losing flexibility can affect the ability to control the bat throughout the swing.

That was apparent early on for Frelick, although he did go 5-for-11 with a homer in his first three games back. Over the next month, Milwaukee's No. 2 prospect proceeded to hit just .192/.277/.205. It wasn't until this homestand against the Jumbo Shrimp that he started showing his extra-base pop again, going 6-for-13 in three games.

“His hands lost a little bit of strength and that’s starting to come back,” Sounds manager Rick Sweet said. “But you take so much time off, you don’t get to see pitches and you’ve got to catch up again. That’s what he’s starting to do. His at-bats the last three or four days have been much better, along with his pitch selection, and that’s why he’s starting to get back to where he was last year.”

Frelick is not known for his power -- MLB Pipeline gives that tool a 45 grade -- but he’s got much more in the tank than he had showed in the past month, when just one of his 14 hits went for extra bases. That was on display Thursday, as he struck three balls at 99 mph or harder -- including doubles at 102.3 and 104.9 mph.

In fact, that 104.9 mph double was his hardest hit of the year, with the other two-bagger slotting in at No. 4.

“He’s squaring up the ball good,” LeBoeuf said. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and the one thing that has to happen before the power comes, you’ve got to have the hit tool. And he’s got the hit tool. When that develops the way we think it’s going to develop, the power will come later. You’ve got to crawl before you can walk.”

To that end, the hitting coach imparted some words of wisdom that definitely seem to be paying off. LeBoeuf had the 23-year-old focus on getting his hands moving a little bit so he could gain some ground and let the bat take him off his back side.

While Frelick's bat has been coming around, his trademark plate discipline has continued to be excellent. With a four-pitch walk in the sixth inning, the Boston College product picked up his 19th base on balls of the season while striking out 18 times. His 10.1 percent K rate is particularly impressive -- only three qualified hitters have a better mark in the Majors.

The Sounds coaching staff believes his renewed discipline will be the key to his future success. And with his hand strength back to where the team wants it, fulfilling his lofty potential appears to be within reach once again.