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T. J. Friedl (born August 14, 1995) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Cincinnati Reds' organization. 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.
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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. 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. 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 made the United States national collegiate baseball team, and compiled a .290 batting average and a .536 slugging percentage. Scouts for MLB teams began to contact Friedl about signing.
Friedl signed with the Cincinnati Reds over the summer. 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.
Personal life
Friedl has three older sisters and an aunt living near Washington D.C.
