Fantasy Baseball: Stolen Base Specialist Sal Frelick Headlines Late-Round Outfielders

Finding late-round gems could be the difference between winning and losing your fantasy baseball league. Sal Frelick of the Milwaukee Brewers has massive speed upside and is a late-round outfielder worth considering on draft day.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick (10) scores a run against the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning at American Family Field. / Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Finding late-round gems could be the difference between winning and losing your fantasy baseball league. Sal Frelick of the Milwaukee Brewers has massive speed upside and is a late-round outfielder worth considering on draft day.

Let's continue to rank the top outfielders entering the 2025 fantasy baseball season:

76 – Heston Kjerstad, BAL (ADP – 333.6)

Baltimore added Kjerstad with the second selection in the 2020 MLB June Amateur Draft, but they had to wait until 2022 for him to make his minor debut due to a heart issue. Over his three seasons in the minors, over four levels, he hit .304 with 183 runs, 42 home runs, 153 RBIs, and eight steals over 953 at-bats.

His strikeout rate (19.9) was better than the league average in the minors, with a favorable walk rate (9.6). Unfortunately, Kjerstad whiffed 29.3% of the time with the Orioles. He has a respectable exit velocity (90.7 mph) and hard-hit rate (46.0%) in his time in the majors.

The loss of Anthony Santander to free agency should be a big win for the opportunity for Kjerstad in 2025. Over the past two seasons, Baltimore gave him 129 at-bats of experience, leading to some uninspiring stats (.248/11/6/17/1 with 12 walks and 43 strikeouts). His bat played much better over two years at AAA (.299 over 508 at-bats with 106 runs, 26 home runs, 90 RBIs, and four stolen bases).

Fantasy Outlook: If he can handle left-handed pitching at the major league level, a 20/80 season is well within reach. Kjerstad will compete for at-bats in the outfield and at DH. His step toward a winning opportunity is better command of the strike zone with the Orioles.

77 – Daulton Varsho, TOR (ADP – 316.9)

Varsho missed the final 15 games of last season with a right shoulder injury (rotator cuff) that required surgery. Last September, the Blue Jays expected him to be ready for spring training. He’s seen time at DH in March, but his right arm might not be in starting game shape when the lights come on for the regular season.

His final stats in 2024 fell in a competitive backend outfielder range in four categories. Unfortunately, Varsho had a regression in his batting average every year with Toronto. He finished with a four-year high in his strikeout rate (26.7) while taking a few more walks (9.4%). Surprisingly, his bat has more value against left-handed pitching (.287/19/3/11/5 over 94 at-bats) than righties (.195 with 54 runs, 15 home runs, 57 RBIs, and five stolen bases over 365 at-bats).

Varsho started the year with productive at-bats in runs (31), home runs (10), RBIs (30), and steals (5) over the first two months despite hitting .205 over 176 at-bats. Back and knee issues led to disappointing stats in June and July (.194/20/3/16/4 over 160 at-bats). His exit velocity (86.1 mph) and hard-hit rate (33.3) were the lowest of his career.

Fantasy Outlook: The lack of catcher qualification has put Varsho in a different fantasy comparison in 2024 and 2025. His playing projects well, and he appears to have a higher ceiling in power and speed based on his best year in 2022. I view him as a viable backend option at outfield in deep formats, with the hopes that Varsho is healthy enough to open the season with a minimum of a DH role. 

In addition, he does have catching experience, and the Blue Jays don’t have a strong C2 option this year. On the downside, his recovery from shoulder surgery may lead to fewer home runs early in the year.

78 – Jhonkensy Noel, CLE (ADP – 384.3)

Noel comes to the majors with a big-bopper profile based on his elite average hit rate (1.900) in his minor league career. The Guardians gave him 794 at-bats of experience over the past three years, leading to 124 runs, 45 home runs, 144 RBIs, and two steals. He struck out 23.9% of the time with a just below-league-average walk rate (7.8). 

In 2024, Cleveland gave Noel about one-third of the year of playing time (179 at-bats) with mixed results. His runs (25), home runs (13), and RBIs (28) projected well if given 550 at-bats (77/40/86), but he posted a high strikeout rate (31.8) while taking fewer walks (6.6%). 

His bat was a power edge against left-handed pitching (.246/11/7/14 over 57 at-bats). Over 31 games from July 23rd through September 2nd, Noel hit .268 with 18 runs, nine home runs, and 20 RBIs over 97 at-bats, helping fantasy teams move up the power standings despite not having a full-time job. Over this span, he has 31 strikeouts over his 108 plate appearances (28.7%).

Even with a high power profile, his exit velocity wasn’t an edge at AAA (88.4 mph) or in the majors (88.6). Noel had a high barrel rate (14.5%) with Cleveland, with some weakness in his hard-hit rate (36.8). His HR/FB rate (25.0) has been consistently higher than 20.0% since 2021.

Fantasy Outlook: A fantasy drafter should think of him in the realm of Franmil Reyes, who had two seasons with 30 home runs in the majors. The key for Noel is getting regular at-bats against right-handed pitching. He has a big event bat that will have some peaks and valleys in its outcomes in his second season with the Guardians. 

79 – Sal Frelick, MIL (ADP – 354.7)

Despite lacking a difference-maker college resume (.345 with 97 runs, 12 home runs, 63 RBIs, and 38 stolen bases over 403 at-bats), the Brewers drafted Frelick 15th overall in the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Over his first two seasons in the minors, he hit .331 with 119 runs, 13 home runs, 79 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases over 638 at-bats. His walk rate (10.0) was an asset while being challenging to strike out (12.1). After a slow start at AAA (.232/6/0/3/4 over 56 at-bats) in 2023, Frelick missed almost two months with a left thumb injury that required surgery. 

His bat was the same when returning to action at AAA (.261 with 23 runs, two home runs, 16 RBIs, and four steals over 111 at-bats). Milwaukee gave him 199 at-bats of experience after the All-Star break, leading to a .246 batting average with 29 runs, three home runs, 25 RBIs, and seven steals.

The Brewers gave Frelick plenty of at-bats last year, but his swing never fired. His two home runs came in May, followed by 331 homer-less at-bats (.260/46/0/22/13). His strikeout rate (14.9) improved with a setback in his walk rate (7.4). His exit velocity (83.4) and hard-hit rate (19.4) ranked at the bottom of the league for batters with over 400 plate appearances.

Fantasy Outlook: The outfield rotation for Milwaukee looks messy in spring training, forcing one option to see time at DH or have Frelick earn playing time in the infield. In the offseason, he bulked up to add more pop to his swing, but Frelick still brings a Judy hitter profile until more balls go over the fence. I like his speed upside, and his approach could push him to the top of the Brewers’ lineup. He is a player to follow in shallow formats while offering rotation value in 15-team formats when he’s stealing bases.

80 – MJ Melendez, KC (ADP – 364.8)

There has been some talk about a new swing path for Melendez heading into spring training after seeing his batting average plummet to .206 in 2024. Over his first 10 games, he’s 9-for-30 with six runs, two home runs, seven RBIs, and a stolen base, but Melendez struck out 10 times. 

Last year, an ankle issue knocked him out of action for 10 days in July, followed by more days off vs. left-handed pitching. Melendez hit only .164 over 73 at-bats against lefties with five runs, no home runs, four RBIs, and 15 strikeouts. In his rookie season, his bat had more value in this area (.295/17/4/14/1 over 112 at-bats with 11 walks and 22 strikeouts).

His only month of value came in August (.311 over 74 at-bats with 12 runs, five home runs, 12 RBIs, and one stolen base). He hit under .200 until August 10th (.199/32/13/36/2 over 296 at-bats). Melendez finished with a career-low walk rate (7.8), with some improvement in his strikeout rate (25.1). 

His exit velocity (91.1 mph) and hard-hit rate (45.0) came in below 2023 (93.2/49.6) while seeing a sharp decline in line drives (16.7%). 

Fantasy Outlook: The highlight power season for Melendez came in 2021 between AA and AAA (.288/95/41/103/3 over 448 at-bats). At this point in his career, he projects as a platoon bat until his bat shows more life against left-handed pitching. He is a low-average tweener who only had playable starting fantasy value due to his catcher eligibility earlier in his career. At best, Melendez is a short-term injury cover or bench option in deep formats. If balls are going over the fence, sign him up for another week.

More 2025 Fantasy Baseball Outfielder Rankings

Top 5 Outfielders | Outfielders 6-10 | Outfielders 11-15 | Outfielders 16-20 | Outfielders 21-25 |Outfielders 26-30 | Outfielders 31-35 | Outfielders 36-40 | Outfielders 41-45 | Outfielders 46-50 |Outfielders 51-55 | Outfielders 56-60 | Outfielders 61-65 | Outfielders 66-70 | Outfielders 71-75