Christian Yelich a necesary investment by Miami Marlins
After locking up their masher Giancarlo Stanton in the offseason, the Miami Marlins are now starting to show the right fielder that they are serious about building a long-term plan around him. Christian Yelich now appears to be the main man who will get himself into scoring position ahead of Stanton for years to come. Or so it would seem.
The Marlins announced an extension with the 23-year old outfielder on March. Here is the breakdown of the contract as per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports:
Final Christian Yelich framework: guaranteed seven years, $49.57M. Eighth-year club option for $15M with a $1.25M buyout. Max value $63.32M.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 18, 2015
Remember though, the Stanton contract has an opt-out clause that the player can exercise after the 2020 season, even though the contract could potentially pay him until the end of the 2028 season. If Stanton were to opt out, it likely means the Marlins have let him down in some way and someone like Yelich may be inclined to depart as well. Then again, if things get testy before 2020, Yelich may be traded away as the contract does not include a no-trade provision.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Marlins have not honored a long-term deal with a talented player(s). The fire sale that occurred when they shipped Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson to the Blue Jays in November of 2012 pays homage to that sentiment.
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The extension with Yelich does two things: it seemingly helps to move the organization away from the stereotype of being one with high-turnover and noncommittal ownership. No franchsie wants to portray this image to the league or its fans. But it also helps Stanton out because it provides another serious investment in a player who will hit just ahead of him in the lineup and can be very productive doing so.
Yelich is a pure contact hitter. The power will continue to develop and is already not bad with nine home runs in 2014, but Yelich is a guy who drives the ball well to all areas of the field. In his first two seasons, he has a collective slash line of .285/.365/.400. He is the perfect guy to hit in the two or three-hole ahead of Stanton. He runs well too, with 31 stolen bases from 2013-14.
Yelich drives the ball as a left-handed hitter with a similar stroke to Seattle’s Robinson Cano. They both eat up all areas of the diamond with line drives and ground balls through the infield. When Cano was 22, he posted a .778 OPS in 551 plate appearances. Last year as a 22-year old, Yelich posted a similar .764 OPS number in 660 PAs. Many people who know a thing or two about the game feel Yelich has a future batting title in his swing, including Marlins manager Mike Redmond.
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On top of his hitting prowess, Yelich is actually also a very apt left fielder. His defensive Rtot (the number of runs above or below average the player was worth based on the number of plays he made) mark of 11 in 1182 innings last year, plus his Gold Glove award, are ample measures of this.
While the Marlins and its leadership may still have a hidden agenda, locking up the Robin to Stanton’s Batman in the lineup was a necessary move by the organization. Christian Yelich is a very good baseball player for his age. His approach at the plate is something that scouts salivate over.
From a payroll perspective the move makes a lot of sense, too. The Marlins currently owe the least amount of money to their roster of players out of all 30 MLB clubs.