Meet JR Freethy, On-Base Machine & Sleeper Prospect

[Simon Li]

Second baseman and outfielder J.R. Freethy was primed for a breakout. In his first 23 games of the season in Low-A Dunedin, he had a .231 average, which didn’t really stand out, but what did stand out was his on-base percentage, which was .408. Freethy walked nearly as much as he struck out, with a 21.4% walk rate to a 22.3% strikeout rate, and he was able to get to some power with eight of his 18 hits being for extra bases, with five doubles, two triples, and a homer.

However, he was placed on the 7-day Injured List and was shelved for a month. He came back to game action in the Florida Complex League on rehab assignment, and took a bit to get going, as he only hit .167 and was a below-average hitter despite a .376 OBP. That changed when he arrived back in Dunedin on July 2, where he had a month of baseball that rivaled his early-season performance. Freethy didn’t walk as much as he did earlier in the season, but instead got on base more through hits, upping his average to .274 during that stretch but maintaining a .400 OBP. The power wasn’t as prevalent, but with a 127 wRC+, Freethy proved that he deserved a chance to face better competition and was promoted to Vancouver.

Freethy hit the ground running, getting a two-hit game against the Hops in his first game in High A, and then the week after, performing well enough to gain MiLB hitter of the week honours in the Northwest League. Freethy has been more impressive against tougher competition in High A, as he’s slashing .321/.430/.462 since coming up, which is good for 152 wRC+. Freethy has been a little lucky with his BABIP, with a .393 mark, but he’s been getting on base while cutting his strikeout rate to 17.2%, and despite only hitting one homer in Vancouver, he’s had eight doubles in 19 games.

The thing that stands out the most about Freethy is his ability to get on base; in 95 games played and 402 plate appearances, he has a .408 on-base percentage. A part of it is his passive approach, as he swings the bat only around 36% of the time. However, he also has a good recognition of the strike zone and is able to make contact when he does swing, with a 79.2% contact rate in High A. The switch-hitter does not have extreme platoon splits either, being a rare true switch hitter nowadays, with a .788 OPS against lefties as a righty, and a slightly better .816 OPS as a lefty against righties.

Freethy does not hit for much power, however, as his exit velocities in the Florida State League were only average for the level, and as a college signing, standing six feet tall and weighing 205 pounds, he may already be maxed out physically. Because of this, Freethy’s power will only be evident in the gaps as he progresses. With his ability to get on base, he could be a valuable offensive contributor in the future. Freethy’s defensive home is also a significant question; he primarily plays second base or left field, and although he hasn’t committed many errors, his range is average at best. Freethy isn’t incredibly fast either, stealing just six bases on the season as well. 

Despite the lack of projection, middling power, and no true defensive home, which limits his ceiling as a prospect, J.R. Freethy is just another example of a very good minor league performer in the Jays’ system this season, having the second highest wRC+ among Jays minor leaguers with over 300 plate appearances. People love to dream on the tooled-up prospects with the loud power or blazing speed, but what the Jays have done quite well over the years is finding college hitters with good approaches and pushing them up the minors slowly, resulting in some major league contributors such as Davis Schneider and Spencer Horwitz. If things go well for Freethy’s development, maybe he could be the next one. 

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