Season Preview: The Nashville Sounds Have Top-Tier Talent & You Should Pay Attention

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Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Sounds

There’s nothing quite like the beginning of baseball. It’s so inherently nostalgic and American, and brings hope of a new summer. This is especially true when your local ball team plays well.

The Nashville Sounds are coming off of an amazing season and are expected to have another fantastic year in the International League. The Sounds major league affiliation, the Milwaukee Brewers, have a handful of must-see prospects this season and fans can get a glimpse of these rising stars here in Nashville.

In 2022, the Sounds finished their season first in their division and first in the league with a record of 91-58. The team went to Las Vegas to play in the International League Championship but lost to 1-0 to the Durham Bulls. Fans had a chance to watch Brice Turang kill it for Nashville, leading all qualifying hitters on the roster by hitting .286, with 152 hits, 13 home runs and 78 RBI’s. Turang is now on the Brewers roster and started f0r Milwaukee in their season opener on Thursday (March 30) having three at bats and getting one hit.

First Horizon Park. Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Sounds

There are plenty of talented baseball players like Turang on the Sounds that can have a stellar season and make it to the big leagues. Two players in particular that fans should have on their radar are Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer.

Frelick and Wiemer are currently ranked No. 30 and No. 90 in MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospects for 2023. Both spent more than 40 games last year on the Sounds and will mostly play all of 2023 in Nashville as neither are on the Brewers 40 Man Roster.

Last season Frelick, bounced around from Advanced A, Double A, and finally Triple A with the Sounds. While in Nashville, he played 46 games with 189 at-bats, batting .365 with an OPS of .943, 69 hits, 25 RBI’s and 19 walks. The soon to be 23-year-old has a high ceiling and fans can expect to see a lot of him this season.

Wiemer had a similar season to Frelick in 2022. He spent 86 games in Double A and 43 games with the Sounds. Wiemer had 150 at-bats, hitting .287 with an one-base-percentage of .368. He had 43 hits and 30 RBI’s. In a full season with the Sounds, Wiemer could definitely find himself as a top prospect by the end of the year.

Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Sounds

Another super fan player that put on show for the Sounds last season was 31-year-old Jon Singleton. Singleton was stellar, with Opening Day RBI’s in what was his first appearance in the MLB system since 2017. He was the backbone of the Sounds offense, playing 136 games with 456 at-bats. He finished the season with an average of .219, OBP of .375 and an OPS of .809. He had 100 hits and led the team in home runs (24) RBI’s (87) and walks (117.)

He may have a chance at playing in the big leagues later in the season if Milwaukee is in need of a big bat, but he will most likely spend almost all of 2023 in Nashville. If you’re looking for a player to follow, support and root for, Singleton is your guy.

Sounds fans may have a chance to see the Brewers top prospect, Jackson Chourio, at some point this season as he finished 2022 in Double A. Chourio, a 19-year-old from Venezuela, is currently ranked No. 8 in MLB’s Top 100 Prospect for 2023 and spent last season in Single A, Single A+ and Double A. He finished last year playing 99 games with all three teams, batting .288 with an OPS of .880. He had 400 at-bats, 115 hits, 20 home runs and 75 RBI’s.

Chourio struggled a bit in the batter’s box, striking out 118 times, so he will need to show some improvement there before he gets called up to the Sounds. But looking at his trajectory, it would be surprising if Chourio makes his Triple A debut at some point this summer.

The Sounds start their season on Saturday, April 1 with a double-header, after Friday’s opener was postponed due to weather. Nashville host rivals the Louisville Bats to start 2023 before playing a six games series in Memphis against the Redbirds next week.

Steven Boero
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