Milwaukee Brewers: Christian Yelich is leaving his mark
The Milwaukee Brewers made a splash in late January trading four highly regarded prospects to the Miami Marlins.
In return, the Milwaukee Brewers received former Gold Glove Award-winning outfielder Christian Yelich. Although the cost to acquire Yelich was steep, he is quickly proving to be worth it. Along with fellow offseason arrival Lorenzo Cain, Yelich has helped keep this lineup afloat during rough spells this season.
He has also been as good as advertised defensively putting in quality innings at all three outfield positions. His versatility in the outfield has allowed Craig Counsell the freedom to mix and match lineups all season long.
On top of everything that he has done with his bat and glove during this season, Yelich has also proved to be a master at the art of running the bases. He makes running around the diamond look like he’s running in a straight line and it’s a beautiful site to witness. Youth Leagues should use footage of Yelich running the bases to teach kids the proper way from the beginning.
Looking at his numbers
The 26-year-old has been unbelievable for the Milwaukee Brewers during this season. He’s currently pacing the National League with a .326 batting average while sporting a .387 on-base percentage. He has also chipped in 17 home runs with 59 runs batted in and has been a table setter for this team all season.
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The left-handed hitting outfielder has been a fixture at the top of the Brewers lineup since Day-1 this season. Cain-Yelich at the one and two spots of the batting order is as formidable a duo as any in MLB.
Yelich is striking out 22.5% of his at-bats during this season while currently walking a career-low 8.2% of the time. Although the strikeout numbers are at an acceptable level, it would be nice to see Yelich take more walks.
He has game-changing baserunning ability with 13 steals in 15 attempts during this season. Yelich has also posted a very good .932 on-base plus slugging percentage. His combination of speed, overall hitting ability, and superior defense will keep him among MLB’s elite for many years to come.
That’s the reason Milwaukee parted with as many quality trade assets as they did in acquiring Yelich. Not only has he helped push this team to another level during this season, he will help keep this organization in this position for the foreseeable future.
Yelich is under contract through the 2021 season and the Brewers hold an option for 2022. That coincides with the prime years of what should be a productive career for Yelich. On top of that, his reasonable yearly salaries won’t handcuff the small-market Brewers who will still have the flexibility to add pieces for future playoff runs.
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Yelich has been amazing this season for the Milwaukee Brewers and deservedly earned his first All-Star nod during the Summer. Yelich has become the centerpiece to what should be among the best teams in Brewers history.