TJ Friedl

Terry Lee "TJ" Friedl (born August 14, 1995) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). After playing college baseball for the Nevada Wolf Pack, he signed with the Reds, receiving the largest bonus ever given to an undrafted free agent, in 2016. Friedl made his MLB debut in 2021.

TJ Friedl
Friedl with the Louisville Bats in 2021
Cincinnati Reds – No. 29
Outfielder
Born: (1995-08-14) August 14, 1995
Sewickley, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
September 18, 2021, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.267
Home runs27
Runs batted in93
Teams

Amateur career

Friedl attended Foothill High School in Pleasanton, California, where he played for the school's basketball and baseball teams. He was a letterman in three seasons for the baseball team, and had a .308 batting average. He enrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he walked on to the Nevada Wolf Pack baseball team. He batted .216 in 37 at bats as a freshman. When told he would play sparingly again as a sophomore, Friedl agreed to take a redshirt year to preserve a season of eligibility. In his junior year, Friedl received more playing time.[1] He batted .401, the 11th-best batting average in college baseball, and finished with the second-most triples, 17th-best on-base percentage (.494), and 24th-most hits (89).[2] Friedl was named to the Mountain West Conference's first team.[3] He was set to become the Wolf Pack's captain in his next season.[4]

Mistakenly believing that he needed to play college baseball for three years, rather than attend college for three years, to be eligible for the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, Friedl did not consider it an option. That summer he played for the St. Cloud (MN) Rox of the Northwoods League where he hit .373 in 16 games with 12 stolen bases and was selected to play in the all-star game but prior to the NWL all-star game he signed with the United States national collegiate baseball team,[5] and compiled a .290 batting average and a .536 slugging percentage.[2] Scouts for MLB teams began to contact Friedl about signing.[4]

Professional career

Friedl signed with the Cincinnati Reds in July 2016.[6] He received a $732,500 signing bonus, the biggest bonus given to an undrafted free agent.[2] He made his professional debut with the Billings Mustangs of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, and hit two home runs in his first game.[7][8] In total, he finished 2016 with a .347 batting average, three home runs, and 17 runs batted in (RBIs) in 29 games. In 2017, he played for both the Dayton Dragons[9] and the Daytona Tortugas, posting a combined .273 batting average with seven home runs, 38 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases in 114 games between both teams. Friedl spent 2018 with both Daytona and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, batting .284/.381/.384 with five home runs, 51 RBIs, and thirty stolen bases in 131 games between the two clubs.[10]

Friedl spent the 2019 season with the Chattanooga Lookouts, hitting .235/.347/.385/.732 with five home runs and 28 RBIs. He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, he played for the Louisville Bats, hitting .264/.357/.422/.779 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs.[11][12]

On September 18, 2021, the Reds selected Friedl's contract to the active roster.[13] He made his major league debut that day as a pinch hitter. Friedl recorded his first major league hit, a home run, on September 19.[14]

Personal life

Friedl has three older sisters.[2] His second cousin is Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball coach John Calipari.[15]

References
  1. Murray, Chris (May 11, 2016). "TJ Friedl fills big shoes, becomes Pack's spark plug". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  2. Crasnick, Jerry (August 10, 2016). "T.J. Friedl's journey to signing as an undrafted free agent". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  3. Murray, Chris (May 25, 2016). "Pack's Friedl named All-MW first team; two others honored". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  4. Miller, Dennis (August 3, 2016). "Foothill grad TJ Friedl signs with Cincinnati Reds". Pleasanton Weekly. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  5. Murray, Chris (July 1, 2016). "Pack's Friedl makes USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  6. Mayo, Jonathan (July 28, 2016). "Reds will sign undrafted prospect TJ Friedl". MLB.com. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  7. Bersch, Jeff (August 6, 2016). "Perfect debut: Billings Mustangs' T.J. Friedl homers in first 2 official at-bats". Billings Gazette. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  8. Jackson, Josh (August 6, 2016). "Cincinnati Reds record-breaking signee T.J. Friedl homers in first two official at-bats for Billings Mustangs". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  9. "Friedl capitalizes in Dragons' twinbill".
  10. "TJ Friedl Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  11. Wilson, Erin. "From undrafted to outfield star, TJ Friedl defies the odds". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  12. Weiter, Taylor (September 3, 2021). "Calipari watches cousin TJ Friedl play for Louisville Bats". whas11.com. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  13. WKRC (September 18, 2021). "Reds place outfielders Winker, Akiyama on 10-day injured list". WKRC. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  14. "Cincinnati Reds notes: TJ Friedl surprises his mom after first callup to the Majors".
  15. "John Calipari's cousin TJ Friedl plays for the Louisville Bats". August 3, 2021.
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