TJ Friedl
{{short description|American baseball player (born 1995)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name = TJ Friedl
|image = T. J. Friedl (51282860080) (cropped).jpg
|caption = Friedl with the Louisville Bats in 2021
|team = Cincinnati Reds
|number = 29
|position = Outfielder
|bats = Left
|throws = Left
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|8|14}}
|birth_place = Sewickley, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate = September 18
|debutyear = 2021
|debutteam = Cincinnati Reds
|statleague = MLB
|statyear = May 3, 2025
|stat1label = Batting average
|stat1value = .257
|stat2label = Home runs
|stat2value = 41
|stat3label = Runs batted in
|stat3value = 161
|teams =
- Cincinnati Reds ({{mlby|2021}}–present)
}}
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.
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.{{cite web|url=http://www.rgj.com/story/sports/college/nevada/2016/05/11/tj-friedl-fills-big-shoes-becomes-packs-spark-plug/84230536/|title=TJ Friedl fills big shoes, becomes Pack's spark plug|first=Chris|last=Murray|work=Reno Gazette Journal|date=May 11, 2016|access-date=August 15, 2016}} 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). Friedl was named to the Mountain West Conference's first team.{{cite web|url=http://www.rgj.com/story/sports/college/nevada/2016/05/25/packs-friedl-named-all-mw-first-team-two-others-honored/84911186/|title=Pack's Friedl named All-MW first team; two others honored|first=Chris|last=Murray|work=Reno Gazette Journal|date=May 25, 2016|access-date=August 16, 2016}} He was set to become the Wolf Pack's captain in his next season.
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 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,{{cite web|url=http://www.rgj.com/story/sports/college/nevada/2016/07/01/packs-tj-friedl-makes-usa-baseballs-collegiate-national-team/86607424/|title=Pack's Friedl makes USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team|first=Chris|last=Murray|work=Reno Gazette Journal|date=July 1, 2016|access-date=August 15, 2016}} and compiled a .290 batting average and a .536 slugging percentage. Scouts for MLB teams began to contact Friedl about signing.{{cite web|url=http://pleasantonweekly.com/news/2016/08/03/foothill-grad-tj-friedl-signs-with-cincinnati-reds|title=Foothill grad TJ Friedl signs with Cincinnati Reds|first=Dennis|last=Miller|work=Pleasanton Weekly|date=August 3, 2016|access-date=August 15, 2016}}
Professional career
Friedl signed with the Cincinnati Reds in July 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/reds-will-sign-undrafted-prospect-tj-friedl-c192289708|title=Reds will sign undrafted prospect TJ Friedl|work=MLB.com|first=Jonathan|last=Mayo|date=July 28, 2016|access-date=August 15, 2016}} He received a $732,500 signing bonus, the biggest bonus given to an undrafted free agent. He made his professional debut with the Billings Mustangs of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, and hit two home runs in his first game.{{cite web|url=http://billingsgazette.com/sports/baseball/professional/minor/pioneer-league/mustangs/perfect-debut-billings-mustangs-t-j-friedl-homers-in-first/article_69c076b1-abfa-56be-96b5-2240e8066cbb.html|title=Perfect debut: Billings Mustangs' T.J. Friedl homers in first 2 official at-bats|first=Jeff|last=Bersch|work=Billings Gazette|date=August 6, 2016|access-date=August 15, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-193906228|title=Cincinnati Reds record-breaking signee T.J. Friedl homers in first two official at-bats for Billings Mustangs|first=Josh|last=Jackson|work=Minor League Baseball|date=August 6, 2016|access-date=August 15, 2016}} 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{{Cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/milb/news/t-j-friedl-collects-five-rbis-in-doubleheader-for-dayton-dragons-227397746|title = Friedl capitalizes in Dragons' twinbill}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/player/tj-friedl-670770|title=TJ Friedl Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball|publisher=Minor League Baseball|access-date=October 20, 2018}}
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.{{Cite web|last=Wilson|first=Erin|title=From undrafted to outfield star, TJ Friedl defies the odds|url=https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2021/07/11/tj-friedl-louisville-bats-undrafted-outfield-star|access-date=September 18, 2021|website=spectrumnews1.com}}{{Cite web|last=Weiter|first=Taylor|date=September 3, 2021|title=Calipari watches cousin TJ Friedl play for Louisville Bats|url=https://www.whas11.com/article/sports/calipari-tj-friedl-reds-louisville-kentucky-family/417-c4529e00-dc1e-4b63-b217-078bbe4637e9|access-date=September 18, 2021|website=whas11.com}}
On September 18, 2021, the Reds selected Friedl's contract to the active roster.{{Cite web|last=WKRC|date=September 18, 2021|title=Reds place outfielders Winker, Akiyama on 10-day injured list|url=https://local12.com/sports/reds/reds-place-outfielders-winker-akiyama-on-10-day-injured-list|access-date=September 18, 2021|website=WKRC}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/mlb/reds/2021/09/19/cincinnati-reds-news-tj-friedl-art-warren-brad-meador/8407906002/|title = Cincinnati Reds notes: TJ Friedl surprises his mom after first callup to the Majors}}
During spring training in 2024, Friedl broke his wrist.{{cite news |title=Reds lose CF TJ Friedl indefinitely due to broken wrist |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39756526/reds-lose-cf-tj-friedl-indefinitely-due-broken-wrist |access-date=March 18, 2024 |work=ESPN.com |date=March 17, 2024}}
Personal life
Friedl has three older sisters.{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/17255032/tj-friedl-strange-journey-signing-undrafted-free-agent|title=T.J. Friedl's journey to signing as an undrafted free agent|work=ESPN.com|first=Jerry|last=Crasnick|date=August 10, 2016|access-date=August 15, 2016}} His second cousin is Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball coach John Calipari.{{Cite web|url=https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/news/john-caliparis-cousin-tj-friedl-plays-for-the-louisville-bats/|title=John Calipari's cousin TJ Friedl plays for the Louisville Bats|date=August 3, 2021}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{baseballstats|mlb=670770| espn=36020| br=f/friedtj01 | fangraphs=19522 | brm=friedl000tj-| retro=F/Pfriet001 }}
{{Cincinnati Reds roster navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedl, T. J.}}
Category:Sportspeople from Pleasanton, California
Category:Baseball players from Alameda County, California
Category:Major League Baseball center fielders
Category:Cincinnati Reds players
Category:Nevada Wolf Pack baseball players
Category:Billings Mustangs players
Category:Dayton Dragons players
Category:Daytona Tortugas players
Category:Pensacola Blue Wahoos players
Category:Chattanooga Lookouts players
Category:Louisville Bats players
Category:Foothill High School (Pleasanton, California) alumni