The Summer of Sal: How a Multi-Sport Mindset and Tech Shaped Sal Frelick’s MLB Career

Athletic Intelligence Episode 5 Transcript

The Summer of Sal: How a Multi-Sport Mindset and Tech Shaped Sal Frelick’s MLB Career

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How Tech Has Transformed the Hitter vs. Pitcher Matchup

[00:00] Sal Frelick: The whole entire season’s a chess match because of how much technology there is, pitchers are able to grasp so much quicker what the hitter is handling and how to not throw them back. When I was in college, that wasn't a thing. 

[00:16] Narration: That's Sal Frelick, who's currently making waves in the big leagues as an outfielder for the Milwaukee brewers.

[00:23] Narration: Sal is a pure athlete growing up, playing every sport he could. He even tried to play two at Boston College before going all in on baseball. 

[00:33] Sal Frelick: I learned so much from being in a huddle Friday night in football to being on a power play in hockey to being in the box, you can take things from different sports and apply them to different ones.

[00:44] Sal Frelick: It's playing multiple sports, being coachable, being a good teammate, like stuff like that, going out and just competing. That's how you turn heads. 

[00:53] Narration: In this episode, Sal joins Aman Loomba, SVP of Product at GameChanger and Alex Trezza, Baseball Market Manager at Game Changer for a deep dive into what it really takes to reach the big leagues.

[01:05] Narration: He shares how a multi-sport foundation, strong team culture, and actually learning how to use technology and data shaped his path. Plus, he offers practical advice for young players and their parents on how to grow, adapt, and succeed in today's game.

[01:27] Narration: This is Athletic Intelligence from GameChanger, a show where we go deep inside the world of baseball and softball, uncovering the tech that's shaping the game.

From Backyard Games to the Big Leagues

[01:40] Alex Trezza: I first met Sal when I was the associate head coach at Boston College. He was one of those rare guys who just got after it. I mean, no matter what, he showed up ready to compete and give it his all. Fast forward now to 2025 and he's starting in the outfield for the Milwaukee Brewers living the dream at the highest level of the game, but that kind of rise doesn't just happen overnight.

[02:00] Alex Trezza: That foundation gets built way before draft day. So, we're rewinding the clock back to where Sal's love of sport began. 

[02:09] Sal Frelick: Yeah, I mean as long as I can remember it was sports was kind of what my life revolved around, just from a young age. I have an older brother and sister. It was kind of just like, come home from school, get your homework done and just, you know, go outside and, you know, we were always doing something.

[02:27] Sal Frelick: And I think that was kind of what instilled in us from our parents. Every season was something different, playing as many sports as you could, and that was fun to me and my siblings and my friends. And I met a lot of my friends that I'm still friends with today. I, I really do think a lot of my life, especially growing up, has revolved around youth sports and that kind of carried its way into middle school and high school where I continued to play multiple sports

[02:50] Sal Frelick: before eventually landing at BC and, and just playing baseball. 

The Benefits of Playing Multiple Sports

[02:53] Alex Trezza: I wanna stop on this for a second. And, you know, coaching a long time, you know, multi-sport athletes, that's what we recruited, right. Especially at BC and, and you're a great example of that, but talk about how playing multiple sports helped you to get you where you are today and, and why it's made you successful.

[03:09] Sal Frelick: It was never even like a question for me growing up, especially going into high school where I think you sort of saw maybe some kids choosing one sport for me to like ever stop playing another sport. It was always, you know, winter was hockey, fall was football, and, and spring and summer was baseball.

[03:25] Sal Frelick: And that was super important to me just because I always felt that you put yourself in different competitive environments playing different sports. Um, I learned so much from being in a huddle Friday night in football to being on a power play in hockey to being in the box, you can take things from different sports and apply them to different ones.

[03:46] Sal Frelick: I talk to kids now, a 12-year-old tells me he's a PO and I'm like, that doesn't make sense to me. You know, I can't wrap my head around that because I really do credit the majority of my success to playing multiple sports. And, um, I mean, you know Trezza when I got to BC that was the first year that I had just played baseball. I knew nothing about the game of baseball.

[04:06] Sal Frelick: I really knew nothing. But yeah, I always thought my advantage over some of the other players was that, you know, when the lights turned on and the game started, I thought I had this competitive advantage over them just because I craved that environment. I love being in that environment. A lot of the stuff I do today is, is really credited to

[04:23] Sal Frelick: playing multiple sports when I was in high school. 

A Coach’s Belief That Changed Everything

[04:25] Aman Loomba: Was there a moment in your youth sporting career where it became clear to you that baseball was the thing you could actually build, you know, a career around and the other sports weren't the main ones? 

[04:37] Sal Frelick: Probably not until I got to BC honestly. I, uh, committed to BC after my freshman year of high school for baseball, which was pretty early at the time. BC was my, my only baseball offer.

[04:47] Sal Frelick: But I, after my junior year I got offered to play football 

[04:50] Sal Frelick: at BC and I was like, oh yeah, I'm definitely gonna go do that. I'm gonna play both. This is awesome. Like this is what I wanna do. 

[04:55] Narration: Sal had committed early to Boston College on a football scholarship, but playing baseball at that same level was quickly becoming a real option. A talented multi-sport athlete

[05:06] Narration: through and through, he had the attention of both coaching staffs. But, it was a conversation with the head baseball coach at BC, Mike Gambino that changed everything. Convincing Sal he just might have what it takes to make it big in baseball. 

[05:22] Sal Frelick: I had to have a heart to heart with Coach Gambino, and he was really the first person in the coaching staff at BC at the time, along with Trezz that said, Hey, I think you might have a future beyond college.

[05:32] Sal Frelick: And I really had to kind of go out and trust him. I did, thankfully, and I, I wouldn't say it was till after my freshman year of college though, um, that first season where I was like, okay, maybe I can play baseball after college. 

[05:43] Narration: In New England, summer collegiate leagues are a big part of the baseball culture with several strong options for up-and-coming players.

Pro Scouts and a Summer League Breakout

[05:51] Narration: Before Sal even set foot on campus, the coaching staff at BC helped him get a spot in one of those leagues, giving him an early shot to test himself against college level competition. 

[06:02] Sal Frelick: I really crushed it that summer. And I remember like some scouts came up to me and they're like, Hey, we're, we'd love to sign you.

[06:09] Sal Frelick: And I was like, I was so confused because, you know, I had one baseball offer and then all of a sudden I had a couple good weeks in the summer league and some scouts were like, Hey. Then I had to kind of revisit that and I was like, you know, talking to my coaches at BC and there was never really a question that I was ever gonna sign.

[06:24] Sal Frelick: Like I, I was for sure going to college, but it still to have the conversation. Yeah, that was a, that was a great first step too, and kind of understanding like, hey, this is maybe something I could do.

The Auburn Game: A Career-Defining Moment

[06:38] Alex Trezza: Sal settled in fast at BC. He bought in, competed hard. He just had that edge and this one game still stands out. We were down in Auburn, a top SEC program, and we added them to the schedule last minute that year. It was the ninth inning, two outs. We were down eight, and most teams would fold there, but not our team.

[06:58] Alex Trezza: Then Sal comes up and, well, I'll let him tell the rest of the story. It was crazy. But that game confirmed what we already knew — that he was primed for the big leagues. 

[07:07] Sal Frelick: We're just passing the bat, passing the bat. Next thing you know, it's nine six and I'm on deck and I remember Dante Baldelli’s in front of me.

[07:14] Sal Frelick: He walks, I get up to the plate. I'm like, all right, well don't try to hit a homer to tie this thing, but like try to hit a homer. Uh, yeah. I remember getting a cutter or something kind of. Spun out and was able to put it over the fence and tied the game. Ended up going to extras, um, and we won in extras and then Luke Gold had a home run.

[07:33] Sal Frelick: Um, and it was awesome. We were ranked at the time too, pretty high. It was great going to an SEC school as well and taking two out of three from them. But yeah, I had never been a part of something like that before and I just remember the camaraderie. Everybody outta the bench on every hit or celebrating.

[07:47] Sal Frelick: And it was just this awesome, awesome game. And it was after a season that got cut short where we had only played two weeks. So everyone was pent up that next season to get out. We were so excited to play a full season and, uh, man, that was, that was awesome. 

[08:00] Narration: That moment in Auburn was electric, but big plays are one thing.

[08:04] Narration: Playing baseball full time was still so new to Sal.

Adjusting to Full-Time Baseball at Boston College

[08:11] Aman Loomba: You mentioned Trezz specifically. You took a little bit of coaching once you arrived at BC for you to even seriously consider whether there was a, a professional career for you ahead in baseball. 

[08:22] Sal Frelick: Yeah, absolutely. Like I didn't know what I was doing. I, I had never played baseball in the fall before. Like I got to BC and we had fall ball.

[08:29] Sal Frelick: I'd never done that. I was almost like an overload of baseball. This like influx where I was like, wow, I have this much learning where I get, you know, basically a season in the fall before spring. And, but yeah, it was, uh, my freshman year was definitely a little eye opening and, and with all that learning and, but that was kind of when I realized, you know, might have a future.

[08:49] Aman Loomba: Can you talk a little bit more about the role that your parents played in your career? You mentioned that your dad had played football and that your parents really encouraged you and your siblings to play. Did your dad ever coach you, you know, either on your team or, or even just at home? 

[09:03] Sal Frelick: Yeah, so my dad was our coach and, and everything.

[09:06] Sal Frelick: He, so he played football at Pitt, and I think football is his true passion. So growing up, he was always, our football coach was also, he played baseball, you know, growing up. So he was our baseball coach, football coach, um, until we got to high school. And then he was like, that's it for me. I'm, I'm hands off.

[09:24] Sal Frelick: I want you guys to have a coach that's not your father and go through what that's being like. It was awesome having him as a coach and also being able to play, you know, on the same team as my brother. 

Learning to Use Baseball Technology for the First Time

[09:36] Aman Loomba: When did technology actually get introduced to you as a part of your game of baseball? Is this something you started using as a kid or did you not see it till later?

[09:45] Sal Frelick: Yeah, I think the first time was at BC and you know, I, I guess for football, right? You watch film, you break down film before the other team, you break down film after your game. Baseball was really nothing. When, when I gotta college, that was the real, you know, first time I'd ever been introduced to any sort of technology with maybe percentages, you know, Trezza, we'd have it in the dugout, like especially with relievers, you know, reliever comes in the game, you can go look at the sheet, has his percentages of pitches thrown in certain counts and stuff like that.

[10:17] Sal Frelick: And it was hard at first because I, I didn't know how to use it, right? You're given this information, but it's really up to the player how they want to use it because at first, I'd go over there and be like, oh, this guy throws a fastball 90% of the time and two one counts. And you go in and you're hunting fastball, and he hangs a curve ball, and you're like, Ugh, I completely eliminated off speed from this count.

[10:36] Sal Frelick: And then you start to learn, okay, you know, instead of saying I'm only gonna see fastball, we're gonna anticipate fastball with, okay, if he hangs one, we're still gonna be able to pull trigger on it.

College Career Stats and the Draft Day Moment

[10:51] Narration: During his time at Boston College, Sal really dug into the game, both on and off the field. He asked questions, made adjustments, and just kept finding ways to get better. Over three seasons, he hit 345, knocked 27 doubles, swiped 38 bases, and played standout defense in the outfield. In 2021 he earned a spot on the All-ACC First Team before everything changed.

[11:20] Narration: It was July 11th, 2021, MLB Draft day. Sal was back home in Lexington, surrounded by family. They were all crowded into the living room. TV on, eyes locked, nerves high. 

[11:36] TV Announcer: With the 15th pick in the 2021 MLB draft, the Milwaukee Brewers select Sal Frelick Boston College. 

[11:46] Narration: The room erupted. Hugs, tears,  the works. After years of grinding through high school sports, through a COVID shortened college season,

[11:55] Narration: through every adjustment and lesson, Sal had arrived to the big leagues. 15th overall, a first rounder. Just like that, the dream was real.

What It’s Like in the Big Leagues: Milwaukee Brewers’ Tech Stack

[12:09] Alex Trezza: Let's talk about being in Milwaukee right now and, and what's going on. Talk about some stuff you're using now and talk about what the tech is in Milwaukee and how you guys are using it on a daily basis to kind of aid in, in how your performance is as, as an individual player and as a team. 

[12:23] Sal Frelick: We have everything under the moon with that stuff.

[12:26] Sal Frelick: I mean, we got guys up in the front office that basically their whole entire job is just, you know, giving scouting reports for defensive positioning, for opposing pitchers, and it's great. All this information we can use, and it’s also up to the player, which is also cool. It's not, you know, thrown at you. You have to do this.

[12:44] Sal Frelick: You have player on how much they wanna use. You got guys using everything at their disposal. You got guys using absolutely nothing. Every time we're in for our pregame meetings, for starting pitchers, they have, you know, percent usage and counts, what pitches are coming for strikes, and what’s a strikes. All this stuff is so useful as a hitter, you know, these pitchers are getting so good that I think you're kind of crazy not to, you know, even just take a glance at some of this stuff.

Inside the Traject Machine: Virtual At-Bats Before the Game

[13:11] Sal Frelick: And then on the physical side, I think we have one of the coolest machines that it's really cool. It's called the, uh, the Trajekt. It's basically a big screen and has every pitcher that's ever thrown a pitch in the major leagues programmed into it, and the screen shows the pitcher and it'll just pitch like, like you're in the game.

[13:29] Sal Frelick: It's actually harder, I think, than when you're in the game. But it's used the most when, like if you're on the bench and you know you're coming in the game for a righty. Um, we got guys in the cage in the sixth, seventh inning and they see the guy warming up, basically hitting off him. And then it's like, all right, you're going into pinch hit, and they've already had two bats off the guy in the cage, and they can go out.

[13:50] Aman Loomba: You're saying just before they, they go into pinch hit right before that. They're doing a simulation against the pitcher they're about to face? 

[13:57] Sal Frelick: Simulation, yep. They have a righty and a lefty in the pen. We got our righties, you know, hitting off the lefty and then our lefty's hitting off the righty. And you don't know who's coming in the pen, but it's just to be prepared for, you know.

[14:10] Sal Frelick: We got a guy back there who has his iPad and will program a sequence. So it's not just spitting out fastballs. You choose, you dunno what's coming. You can ask for, Hey, I only want fastballs, I only want sliders. 

[14:20] Aman Loomba: Mm-hmm. 

[14:21] Sal Frelick: Most of the guys will go back there and say, pitch to me like you're the pitcher and the guy on the iPads back there.

[14:26] Sal Frelick: Um, I think it's super, super cool and it's also cool for the starter has, you know, weird delivery that maybe you can't simulate from a machine. You know, like Chris Sale's starting right. And I'm in there and the machine isn't as accurate. Sales is on the left side of the rubber, he is basically throwing from behind me.

[14:45] Sal Frelick: I would get in even if I'm not swinging, but I'll get in off, off the Trajekt and just kind of see a few pitches from that angle. Um, and it's been super helpful, and this has been the first year we had, it was last year. Um, so this is the second year that we've used it. 

[14:58] Aman Loomba: Is there still information that you get in and at bat that just can't be reproduced by the machine?

[15:04] Aman Loomba: Like, stuff you're gonna learn only through experience and you're just not gonna get any other way?‍

Reading the Game Situation Beyond the Stats

[15:10] Sal Frelick: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's another thing that I, I learned more so in the big leagues, but I would say if I'm leading off the game, there's nobody on base that information I get can be trusted pretty much to a T.

[15:24] Sal Frelick: But then when I get on base in the sixth inning with a guy on second or third, less than two outs like that can all go in the track because I'm gonna get pitched differently. Right. Can go to, you know, is it the end of the year? What's this guy's ERA and see, you know, is he a free agent next year is, you know, there's so much stuff that I've been learning that goes into it.

[15:42] Sal Frelick: Don't wanna give up a run versus when there's nobody on base, how I'm gonna get pitched differently. Or am I 10 for my last 20? Am I for 0 my last 20? Are they gonna attack me because that, or am I gonna get pitched around a little bit because I'm swinging a hot bat? So there's so much stuff that goes into it, especially with guys on base that my approach will, will change completely.

[16:04] Sal Frelick: Which I'mstill  learning, but some of the older guys on my team, you know, Rhys Hoskins, Christian Yelich, I go up and watch these guys with runners on base, take two-oh sliders just below the zone, like outta hand. How did you take that? Like, you're right. And so the approach will definitely change, and I see it the most, maybe the run is on base or maybe certain matchups.

How Data Helps Hitters and Pitchers

[16:27] Aman Loomba: There's kind of like a little bit of a chess game going on with the technology. You're, you're learning everything you can about who you're facing, but you're also understanding that they've studied you and they know how you've been doing, and that you have to take that into account as well. 

[16:39] Sal Frelick: Oh yeah. The whole entire season’s a chess match because of how much technology there is, pitchers are able to grasp so much quicker what the hitter is handling and how to not throw them that.

[16:51] Sal Frelick: And I think when I was in college, that wasn't a thing. And even in the minors I would say that wasn't a thing. But now because technology, they got people, you know, in other front offices, this is their job where isolated so much faster than I'd seen in the past where like to even be from series to series where one series

[17:10] Sal Frelick: you crush it. The next series you don't, A pitch doesn't show up anywhere that you had just seen the previous series. And that's all due to technology. 

[17:17] Alex Trezza: I think that's the thing that makes it tough, right? If there's one spot you can't execute, right? They're gonna hammer that part of the zone until you prove you can, right?

[17:26] Alex Trezza: And then move on to the next thing, right? So I think having that, all that, all that information that makes it tough every day going to the ballpark, right? You gotta understand how they're gonna attack you and what your approach is, right? And adjust. Maybe pitch to pitch and a bat to a bat. So. There's so many games during the year to just like continue to learn and continue to get better.

How Tech Turned Sal Frelick into a Better Outfielder

[17:43] Sal Frelick: I think it's very beneficial for me, especially, let's say I'm above average for speed and maybe just athleticism, but that doesn't always translate to being a good defender. And that was something coming into BC I was an infielder in high school and I got to college it was my first time playing outfield, so I was, fastball got hit in the air

[18:01] Sal Frelick: I was just kind of like a, you know, dog out there running after it. Didn't really have good route efficiency and first-step quickness, and now in the big leagues, that's something that we can actually track.

[18:16] Alex Trezza: First-step quickness is all about how fast you react. Route efficiency is all about whether you're moving in the right direction. One gets you where you're going and the other makes sure you're on the right path. As a coach, I care about both, because speed plus efficiency leads to more outs and ultimately, more wins.

Defensive Metrics That Actually Matter

[18:35] Sal Frelick: Let's say a ball hitting the gap is my first step while I'm facing home plate. If it's my first step is directly to my right, as that ball's getting hit over my head, then I have to then start to basically banana curl from that first step going towards center back to the right field wall instead of my first step just being right back to that right field wall.

[18:58] Sal Frelick: That one or two steps that I take directly to my right can lead to me not catching the baseball because then I have to adjust and go back instead of just opening up quick and darting straight back. Even if I have to come in, you'd rather err on the side of back than shallow because um, that'll give you a better chance to catch the ball.

[19:18] Sal Frelick: So, you know, a lot of the times when I go and lay out for a ball and make the catch, I'll go back and be like, alright, what was the catch percentage on that? Because if it's above 50, I probably didn’t need to dive for it which means my first step was bad and all that’s tracked. So first step is the biggest thing that I like to look at. Um, and that's some stuff that I, I work on, work on that in bating practice, off live reads.

[19:39] Sal Frelick: But at the end of every month, we basically get a report and it'll show us our first step average, quickness and stuff like that, which has been great for me. Just making sure that my first step is quick, but every single time a ball's hit to me not taking a playoff or stuff like that. 

[19:55] Alex Trezza: Wow. It's really interesting.

[19:56] Alex Trezza: What other technology, is there any other stuff that you guys are using that we, we haven't hit on yet, uh, in any other aspect of the game? Maybe it's even in, in dugout. I know everyone's grabbing iPads as quick as they can to kind of see some stuff. 

Base Stealing Tech: Lead Length, Time to Plate, and Accountability

[20:09] Sal Frelick: Uh, base running's big, so it's more for base stealers, but we have actual metrics that tell us how big your lead is, especially when you steal.

[20:18] Sal Frelick: So a pitcher is 135 and above. That's kind of a guy where I'm like, okay, this is a guy I'm gonna try to, to get a, a bag on. And 135, meaning his time to home plate. Most of the time stealing on the pitchers, not the catchers. And if a guy's one four to the plate and I get thrown out, I want to go back and look at, okay, what, what was my lead?

[20:40] Sal Frelick: And we're able to get that information pretty quick. And if my lead's good, okay, I'll tip my cap to the catcher. But if it's not, then I can say that's on me. My, my lead wasn't where, wasn't big enough. It wasn't 11 feet. You know, I was at 10 and a half and that split second and lead. Just is the reason I got thrown out.

Using Force Plates and Strength Metrics to Prevent In-Season Decline

[20:59] Sal Frelick: And then, yeah, in the weight room too, we, we use a lot of technology. We have force plates, which we go in and jump and we also do isometric pulls. So basically we pull a bar, you can't lift it off the ground 'cause it's chained into the ground, but it'll judge how hard you’re pulling it via force. Um, we do that once a month and they're not looking for you to go up

[21:22] Sal Frelick: in all of those categories, but the whole idea is because the season is so long is they don't want you going down. So, the off season, I use the same force plates and I wanna go up in all my metrics. That's the time to get stronger. That's the time to get faster. During the season that's where you wanna maintain strength because it's hard to get stronger.

[21:39] Sal Frelick: You just don't want to go down

[21:43] Narration: At the highest level there's no shortage of tools or data, but with so much information flying around, it can be easy to lose sight of what actually matters. For Sal, the turning point came when he stopped trying to use everything and started figuring out what actually worked for him. 

From Data Overload to Clarity: Learning What to Ignore

[22:02] Sal Frelick: It took me till, oh, we have all this information.

[22:05] Sal Frelick: This is great, me getting it and saying, oh, I'm not using this right. To really understand the type of player I am and how I wanna use it, right? I'm not hitting 40 homers a year where I might wanna be sitting a pitch, and those guys love knowing that because they're fine taking a curve ball and a two one count because they know that if they get the fastball, they can hit over the fence.

[22:26] Sal Frelick: You know, for me it's like. I can't hit a curve ball sitting a curve ball. I have to be still on the fast ball to then identify the curve ball. And that's how I, I hit off speed. So I had to understand that for me as a player, work with my coaches, and then develop a plan. And so that's when I got to, you know, telling Murph, saying, Hey, you know, changeups were hard for me in college.

[22:48] Sal Frelick: Does he have one? Is it good? Because that's something I would maybe wanna know if there's a, he throws it, but if not, okay, I'm good. Otherwise, whether it's pitch, whether good. 

[22:57] Aman Loomba: A lot of the tech you mentioned kind of involved going back and looking at data around your own plays and, you know, looking for insights.

[23:05] Aman Loomba: So was my, was my first step or how, how big was my lead off? Is that something you do for every single game? Like how many plays do you look at? Do you set aside time after every game to do this kind of video review? 

Finding the Right Rhythm for Reviewing Data

[23:16] Sal Frelick: I would say so. Hitting is more game to game, maybe more series to series for me. There’s guys on my team that after every single game, go in and review their at bats.

[23:28] Sal Frelick: I do not do that. I think for me personally, most guys too, you can kind of get in a little bit of a trap doing that every single game and not just go up to the plate and competing. If I was doing that, I'd go up to the plate, worried about my mechanics or throwing kind of take away from my competitive edge.

[23:46] Sal Frelick: Um, so I say on the offensive side it's more so series to series. I'll go look at that. Um, if you're doing good at the plate, you're not doing any of that. And then, yeah, defensively I would say we get a report once a month, which I think is plenty. Basically our good plays, our bad plays. And you can kind of review that once a month.

[24:05] Alex Trezza: I know you just talked about it's not an everyday thing, but do you look at the iPad in game? Like after at bats just to see stuff. 

[24:12] Sal Frelick: Yeah. I, I used to, I would say my first year I'd get out, run right to the iPad and see what went wrong. And again, kind of got in a bad habit of doing that. So, this year I would say I have not gone to the iPad once.

[24:26] Sal Frelick: It's just. I like to stay away from them. I think you can kind of get in trouble there, guys, do guys love going to it. It helps guys. But again, for me personally, I can kind of find myself getting into trouble, running to it after I bat. 

[24:38] Alex Trezza: Yeah, I, I think everyone's different. I think you've, you've hit on that, right?

Sal’s First Experience with GameChanger

[24:41] Alex Trezza: It's just like, can you go down a wormhole with the technology and it kind of mess you up? Or have you learned what you seem to have, right? Like, know just what the right balance is, and I'm sure that'll evolve. You know, as more technology comes out, but I think that's an important thing. When you were younger, I know we talked about this a little bit, but did your teams  use GameChanger?

[25:00] Alex Trezza: Were you familiar with it? How much did you guys use it in high school and travel ball and stuff like that? 

[25:05] Sal Frelick: Yeah, it was the only thing I think we were able to use in travel ball for following live stats or at the game that we had. Basically, I think a designated parent who was the GameChanger parent and they would, you know, if my dad or mom were at my brother or sister's game and weren't able to be at mine, they would be able to follow on the app watching my game because someone was, you know, inputting the stats and updating the score of the game.

[25:27] Sal Frelick: So my parents loved it, and it was something that allowed them to be at one of my siblings’ games, but still able to follow. So, but now I know they have the video. I think maybe some fields have cameras up, but there's some, uh, you know, when I go to the field today, they'll be a staff member or something watching their kids play on their phone.

[25:49] Sal Frelick: Um, which I think is awesome. And just allowing for people to be not at their kids' games, to be able to watch them play. And it's been really cool. 

[25:57] Alex Trezza: You see anyone in the clubhouse using it to watch their kids when you guys are away? 

[26:01] Sal Frelick: Yeah. Like some of our, uh, staff, like if it's a coach or somebody in the front office, they'll just have it on their phone and they'll be like, I'm watching my, my kid’s game.

[26:10] Sal Frelick: You know, he's in a tournament right now or something. Like, I can't be there, but you know, I can watch him. Which is, which is really cool.

[26:18] Narration: Sal made it to the top by constantly learning and adapting, but it hasn't happened in a vacuum. The teams he's been a part of and the cultures they've built have shaped the way he plays, prepares, and shows up every day. As someone who's seen Sal's journey up close, Alex Trezza wanted to dig into that. 

Building Winning Team Culture from the Locker Room Up

[26:39] Alex Trezza: Talk about like what culture means to a ball club and how does that culture kind of weave into that fabric and, and get you ultimately to a World Series, but, you know, make the team really good throughout the entire season.

[26:54] Sal Frelick: Yeah, and I think that's another point of why I liked playing multiple sports is because in high school that was something I learned how, how to build a culture within your team because it's not building the same culture from the hockey team to the baseball team and the football team. It's going into the locker room on day one, seeing the type of guys you have

[27:12] Sal Frelick: the type of players you have, and building the culture around that. I know the 10 guys that I went into in my freshman year we’re all still best of friends, and it's because of what the coaches built before we even got there of what it means to be you a bird baller. And that's different than what it means to be a Milwaukee Brewer.

[27:31] Sal Frelick: It's different culture. It's not the same. It translates to the big leagues as well. Like, I'm in a small market team where we don't just go out and sign guys. Like, you know, you watch the, you see the Dodgers, or you see the Mets do. We're homegrown. We have to draft and we draft specifically to Brewer culture, and that's guys who can play defense, guys who understand base running, guys who can bunt.

[27:55] Sal Frelick: This is what our culture is, and the guys we sign, if we sign the we draft all fit that mold. When we show up every day in the clubhouse, we understand that this is how we're gonna play and this is how we're gonna win baseball games. It's not gonna go out by striking out 12 times a game, but we might hit five homers.

[28:12] Sal Frelick: Like that's just not our culture. So I think culture's so important, and you can see that it's not just in the big leagues, it's not just in college. You can see that type of stuff happen in high school because I, I saw it happen with my football teams and baseball teams and stuff like that, and having great upperclassmen take over that role of building that culture.

[28:30] Narration: A strong team culture only works if the people inside it bring it to life day in, day out. And that starts with being the kind of teammate who shows up for others, but what does that actually look like? 

How to be a Great Teammate: Encouragement and Accountability

[28:42] Sal Frelick: One is just being encouraging and two is just having accountability, which kind of might seem like they're opposites, but you wanna have somebody who, when you're going bad, you have an older guy who can kind of pick you up and be encouraging and say, Hey man, you're doing great. You’re doing great, you’re right there. You’re about to break out, just keep doing exactly what you’re doing.

[29:05] Sal Frelick: Then you gotta have the other guy who, guy, you know, I really learned this at BC where the guy might be an all star, but you know, if he doesn't run out a ball first base, that's a really bad example for a young guy. Someone needs to get on him. That's being a good teammate is grabbing the guy. And might have to be stern, but making sure that he understands, he messed up why he messed up, and you know, he shouldn't do it again.

[29:27] Sal Frelick: So both sides of it. 

Sal’s Advice to Parents and Youth Athletes

[29:29] Aman Loomba: Sal, is there a, a piece of advice that you would offer to a young athlete or even their parent? Who wants to elevate their baseball game? 

[29:40] Sal Frelick: Yeah, I mean, and we've touched on it a ton, and I don't wanna be redundant with it, but I do firmly believe that playing multiple sports, especially at a young age, is the number one thing that a parent can do to enhance their son or daughter's ability in a specific

[29:57] Sal Frelick: sport. Not just to elevate their play, but as Trezz mentioned earlier, that's what college coaches look for. Like every scout that I talked to, the number one thing they brought up with me was how they loved that I played multiple sports. It's playing multiple sports, being coachable, being a good teammate, like stuff like that.

[30:15] Sal Frelick: Um, going out and just competing. That's how you turn heads, because for me it was alright, I might have three singles in a game, but I'm gonna go steal a base. I'm gonna make a diving catch, I might beat out a ground ball to second baseman. That’s how I was gonna get recruited I wasn’t gonna showcase and hit 20 homers during batting practice and throw 93 for the outfield because I couldn't do that.

[30:37] Sal Frelick: I physically wasn't able to and most aren't. You develop that later once you grow into your body, once you get bigger. So I would say that's your, I was 5’8” a 150 pounds my freshman year of college. Like that's, 

[30:52] Alex Trezza: yYou're still five, eight and 150 pounds. Don't, 

[30:53] Sal Frelick: I'm like five, eight, a hundred eighty now.

[30:55] Sal Frelick: But it's just like once you get to college and, and after that is when I think you grow into your body. So it's more important to focus on those other things when, when you're early in your baseball career.

Grown Happens Between the Lines — and Off the Field

[31:10] Narration: Getting to the big leagues takes talent, no doubt. But it also takes support, self-awareness, and the willingness to keep learning year after year, level after level. And that journey doesn't start under the lights. It starts on the sidelines, in the cages, the moments spent reviewing tape, or encouraging a teammate.

[31:32] Narration: As we've heard from Sal, technology can sharpen those moments. It can help a player find their edge, or help a parent follow along from the other side of the country. But the tools only matter if you know how to use them. And Sal's story is proof that growth comes from knowing who you are, trusting the process, and surrounding yourself with the right people.

[31:54] Narration: This has been Athletic Intelligence from GameChanger. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow, rate, and share it. I hope you'll join us next time as we uncover the tech that's shaping the game.