TJ Friedl

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Terry Lee Friedl

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Biographical Information[edit]

Outfielder TJ Friedl was the Cincinnati Reds minor league hitter of the year in 2018. He writes his first name "TJ", without punctuation marks.

His first career hit came in his second major league game, on September 19, 2021, and it was a 6th-inning homer against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dodgers RF Mookie Betts, realizing how special the hit was, bargained with the Reds fan who caught the ball and convinced him to throw it back, so that TJ could keep it as a souvenir. Mookie then rewarded the fan by giving him an autographed bat; his gesture made newsreels around the country. TJ hit .290 in 14 games in his first cup of coffee, with the one homer and 2 RBIs.

In 2022, Friedl played 72 games for the Reds, batting .240 with 8 homers and 25 RBIs, for an OPS+ of 104. He also played 64 games in the minors for the Louisville Bats, hitting .278 with 8 homers and 38 RBIs. 2023 was his first full season in the majors as he played 138 games in Cincinnati, and hit .279 with 18 homers, 73 runs and 66 RBIs. He also stole 27 bases in 33 attempts and his OPS+ was 118 as he was one of the unsung heroes on a team that was in the postseason race until late September. After being used in all three outfield spots the previous season, he was the Reds' regular centerfielder that year.

Big things were expected of him in 2024, but he began the year with back-to-back injuries. He first broke his right wrist during spring training, keeping him out until May 7th. He was hitting .182 after one week in the bigs when on May 12th, he broke his left thumb when he was hit by the first pitch of the game thrown by the San Francisco Giants' Kyle Harrison. He was immediately placed back on the injured list. He returned on May 29th and was healthy for a month, then made a third stint on the IL from June 24th to July 25th, this time due to a hamstring strain. He managed to stay on the field the rest of the way, and on September 25th was involved in a mildly controversial play when he broke what was until then a perfect game by the Cleveland Guardians by laying down a successful bunt in the 7th inning. There could have been more backlash if it wasn't a bullpen game by design, and if four other pitchers had not already taken the mound before Friedl victimized Tim Herrin to lead off the 7th with his strategy. He then moved to second on a botched pick-off attempt and scored on a single by Elly De La Cruz to make the score 2-1. The Reds tied the score in the top of the 8th, but José Ramírez hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning to make Cleveland 5-2 winners.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Mandy Bell: "Guardians playfully tease Reds after bunt breaks up perfecto in 7th", mlb.com, September 25, 2024. [1]
  • Mark Sheldon: "Friedl placed on injured list with broken left thumb", mlb.com, May 13, 2024. [2]

Related Sites[edit]

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