Milwaukee Brewers: Baker Mayfield, Christian Yelich and the MVP Award

What do Baker Mayfield and I have in common? We both support Christian Yelich for National League MVP! The outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers has emerged to become the clear front-runner for the award.

The newly minted starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns, Baker Mayfield, made headlines on the field and in front of the camera during the Browns’ big win last Thursday night. The first overall selection from the 2018 NFL Draft ended his post-game press conference by endorsing Christian Yelich, star outfielder of the Milwaukee Brewers, for National League MVP.

I never thought I would be able to say that I had something in common with Baker Mayfield, but I too believe that Christian Yelich is worthy of being the National League’s Most Valuable Player…

Just kidding, sharing this opinion is not that special. A lot of people are starting to back this opinion as Yelich has seemingly emerged as the favorite to win the award. The slugging outfielder has established himself as one of the league’s best hitters with his otherworldly second half.

A deep dive into the bromance between Yelich and Mayfield is an article for another time, today we are here to discuss why I feel the Brewers’ outfielder will definitely be the National League MVP over the electric shortstop from the Chicago Cubs, Javier Baez.

Baez deserves a lot of credit for his stellar play in 2018. The shortstop is having a historic season. Going into play on Monday, Baez is two doubles and a triple away from being the 15th player in baseball history to record 40+ doubles, 10+ triples, and 30+ home runs in a single season (Forbes). Even with that said, I feel that Yelich’s production and overall numbers top those of the Cubs’ shortstop.

On the season, Christian Yelich has been a force for the Milwaukee Brewers. He has cemented himself as a true five-tool player. The left-handed swinging outfielder went into Monday with 32 home runs, 96 RBIs and a slash line of .322/391/.577. Of those stats, the slugger leads the league in batting average (.322), slugging percentage (.577) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.968). From an analytical view, Yelich leads the league in runs created (126), OPS+ (156) and wRC+ (158). This wRC+ is good enough to be the best in Brewers’ history (filtering by a minimum of 600 PA).

Yelich’s production in the first half of the season is pretty similar to his career averages. Going into the All-Star break, Yelich hit 11 home runs, drove in 43 runs and slashed .292/.364/.459. These numbers set the young outfielder on pace to hit 22 home runs and drive in 85 RBIs, very close to his 162 game average of 19 home runs and 80 RBI. While these stats are definitely All-Star worthy, Yelich’s second half put him in the conversation for the MVP Award.

In 58 games since the All-Star break, Yelich has hit 21 home runs, drove in 53 runs and has slashed an extremely high .362/.427/.736. This is a pace to record 59 home runs and 149 RBIs over a 162 game average. Talk about a difference maker!

The Milwaukee Brewers rode the big bat of Jesus Aguilar to a stellar first half and they are now riding Yelich’s hot streak into the playoffs. The outfielder is excelling down the stretch, exactly when his team needs him most. This is the most important time of the season for a contending team.

On Monday, Major League Baseball rewarded Yelich for his recent play. The slugger received his third “Player Of The Week” honor, his second honor in September. Yelich came off a week where he recorded his second cycle of the season, while casually slashing .545/.615/1.09 with a 1.706 OPS.

The slugger recently made comments to MLB.com about his recent play and his bid for the NL MVP Award.

“When our team’s in it and we have so much at stake every night, it’s easier to separate the two,” Yelich said “In your head, you don’t have it carry over because we’re so focused on our team goals, what we have to go out and accomplish as a team and what we’re on the brink of — being able to clinch a postseason spot.”

Clinching that Postseason spot is something the Brewers will most likely accomplish as they currently sit atop of the National League Wild Card.

We all knew that the Milwaukee Brewers were receiving an all-around talented player when they traded for Yelich, but I don’t think anyone projected him to be this good. Maybe working out with Baker Mayfield granted him MVP abilities? Maybe it’s the Wisconsin cheese? Christian, keep doing whatever you’re doing. You have been a superstar for the Brewers and a joy to watch.

I can’t wait to see how high Yelich’s numbers can get in these last few games. I will be shocked if he isn’t named the National League’s Most Valuable Player.