No Longer Overlooked, Friedl’s Star Rises

T.J. Friedl went to USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team trials in late June trying to win a spot on the roster as a fourth outfielder. He had just finished a strong spring as a redshirt sophomore at Nevada, hitting .401/.494/.563 and earning a spot on the all-Mountain West Conference team.

During the trials, however, Friedl would need to prove to manager George Horton (Oregon) and the rest of the Team USA coaching staff that he belonged on a team of the best college players in the country. It was a familiar position for the outfielder, whose only offer out of high school was as an invited walk-on at Nevada.

Friedl was able to build off his breakout spring with a strong week at trials and won more than a roster spot. He quickly became Team USA’s leadoff hitter and starting left fielder, playing alongside more famous players such as BA Freshman of the Year Seth Beer (Clemson) and Jeren Kendall (Vanderbilt). His strong play continued throughout the summer tour, hitting .290/.362/.452 in 18 games and helping the CNT win its first ever series in Cuba.

“I don’t know what we would have been without him quite frankly,” Horton said. “He was a catalyst offensively, defensively, emotionally. The cool thing is he’s going to hit the jackpot.”

That jackpot came Thursday, as the Reds signed him to a $735,000 bonus, the largest ever for a domestic nondrafted free agent. The bonus is slightly more than the slot value that was assigned to the 85th overall pick in the draft.

The rise of Friedl’s star this summer has been incredible, and in many ways unprecedented. But he is used to being overlooked. In just three years, the Northern California native has gone from a walk-on to playing for the national team and now signing a bonus worth the equivalent to third-round money.

Unlikely Path

T.J. Bruce was an assistant coach at UCLA when Friedl came to Nevada, recruited by then-coach Jay Johnson. Bruce became Nevada’s head coach last year when Johnson left to become coach at Arizona. Johnson left notes on the returning players, and Bruce said he also used fall ball to familiarize himself with his new team.

From Friedl, Bruce saw a player who was constantly working to get better.

“As you start going through the fall, you saw somebody who has the drive to be a really good baseball player,” Bruce said. “Not only a baseball player, but the evolution of being a good leader. He emerged as one of those leaders and a guy people look to when things weren’t going so well—or when they were going well—to see how he went about his things and work.”

Friedl hadn’t played much to that point. As a freshman in 2014, he mostly was used as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner, appearing in 30 games.

In 2015, playing time figured to be scarce again. In the outfield, Nevada had Trenton Brooks, Kewby Meyer and Cal Stevenson. Brooks went on to win Mountain West player of the year and Stevenson was named freshman of the year. Meyer was a senior who ended his career with the fourth-most hits in school history. They helped lead the Wolfpack to a 41-win season thanks to one of the best offenses in the nation.

Johnson believed in Friedl’s potential, however. So instead of wasting another year of his eligibility as a role player, he redshirted him.

“He had a good fall and preseason leading up to his sophomore year, and you could see the development happening,” Johnson said. “It’s been great to see how quickly he’s progressed.”

During his redshirt season, Friedl worked out six days a week in the weight room and put on about 15 pounds; he’s now listed at 5-foot-10, 170 pounds. He also spent time working on his baserunning and small ball, to emphasize his plus speed. He learned when to employ those skills, which he did to great effect this spring. He went 13-for-18 in stolen base attempts, and Bruce estimated 12-15 of his 89 hits were a result of his short game.

“That’s the baseball player in him developing, recognizing when to do it, when to run, when not to run, who’s on the mound, who’s on deck, who’s in the hole,” Bruce said. “Knowing all that and being able to put it in his computer in his head and determining the right time to do that stuff, it was able to open up his whole offense.”

Friedl’s increased aptitude at those skills made Bruce think he would be a good fit for Team USA. With Horton managing the team and former Long Beach State coach Dave Snow on his staff, Bruce knew this year’s CNT would embrace the West Coast style of baseball. As a Southern California native and former Long Beach player and coach, Bruce had gotten to know Horton and Snow and told them he thought Friedl merited consideration for the CNT.

Horton said it was Bruce and Nevada assistant coach Jake Silverman who turned him on to Friedl. Horton eventually invited Friedl to the trials, bringing him in to compete with Luis Gonzalez (New Mexico) to be the team’s fourth outfielder. Horton said Friedl made the choice easy for the Team USA coaching staff with his play during the weeklong trials.

“We decided to bring in two guys—Luis and T.J.—and he just flat-out won the job,” Horton said. “It was not a case of Luis Gonzalez not doing well, just T.J. winning it. He was unbelievable.”

Summer star

That play continued throughout the summer, as Team USA has traveled to Taiwan, Japan and Cuba.

Bruce said he has closely followed Friedl’s play this summer, getting up at 3:30 a.m. to watch the games in Taiwan.

“I was just so pumped for him,” Bruce said. “Knowing how far he’s come in one year and how far he’s come in three years. It’s been great to share those moments with T.J. when we do talk or FaceTime. It’s good to share the experience with him. Like I told T.J., I’m his biggest fan. I’m proud of his development.”

Friedl played a key role in helping Team USA win the five-game series against Cuba. In the fourth game, he hit a three-run double to lead the CNT to a 4-1 victory and even the series at two games apiece. Team USA made history by winning the decisive fifth game, 2-1, in Friedl’s last game as an amateur.

On a team of the best college players in the country, Horton said Friedl was a difference maker.

“Without him, we’re a whole different team,” Horton said. “We’ve got some good hitters, but they’re not necessarily fast runner kind of guys. You need those kind of guys in the lineup. He’s a good bunter and basestealer, and he’s also been a clutch hitter for us. He’s a great addition.”