As Opening Day grows closer for the Milwaukee Brewers and the 29 other teams in Major League Baseball, right fielder Sal Frelick is gearing up for his fourth MLB season. 

Frelick, 25, has already become a very impactful player for his team when other players his age are still stuck in the minors. For Frelick, there is a level of gratitude that comes with the position he is in, especially as a player whose strengths are based on speed and contact. 

“Yeah, I mean, you know, definitely not, especially when I got drafted,” Frelick told Dom Controneo of ESPN Milwaukee. “And you kind of look around the league while you're in the minors and you're like, ‘Do I kind of have to switch something up here?’   

“And I think I was just fortunate enough to be drafted to an organization that — and I'm guessing is also one of the reasons why they drafted me — where they kind of had that vision early,” Frelick said.

The marriage between Frelick and the Brewers is mutually beneficial, and he attributes their desire to have a player with his skillset for his rapid progression through the organization’s minor league system. 

“I mean, I think going back four or five years [they] started to say, ‘Hey, this is the brand of baseball we want to play,’" Frelick said. "And, you know, I really don't think I would have gone through the minors as fast as I did if I was in any other organization who maybe didn't value that type of player. 

“So, super grateful to be here," Frelick added. "And I think it's just awesome, too, that, you know, we go out and show everyone we can win games playing this way.” 

Last season, Frelick appeared in 142 games and logged a .288 batting average with 12 home runs, 63 RBIs and 20 stole bases — all career highs. 

Frelick was also responsible for an epic highlight moment in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he robbed Max Muncy of a would-be grand slam and turned it into a double play to end the inning. 

During that playoff run, Frelick was dealing with left knee pain but opted to play through it before recovering in the offseason. 

“I always say there's a difference between being hurt and being injured. Like, if you're hurt, you play, you know, if you're injured, that's something else,” Frelick said. “You should be on the Injured List. So, we had 26 guys playing hurt. Like everyone in the playoffs is pretty much playing hurt. 

“Like, guys got bumps and bruises; guys got nicks and whatnot," Frelick continued. "And you just play through that stuff. I mean, I definitely think you feel it a lot more in September.” 

Frelick also talked about the adrenaline of a postseason environment adding to his ability to play, but once the offseason hits, the consequences of bumps and bruises creep in. 

“I mean, you get back home and you get back to your own bed; get back in your routine for the offseason," Frelick said. "And, you know, you're probably waking up in the morning for the first week or two after the season, like feeling some aches and pains. But it's nothing crazy. I mean, that's what being an athlete is.” 

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