Offensive Results Are Promising For Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich

Potent offense from outfielder Christian Yelich is important to the success of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The past two seasons, the left-handed hitting Yelich has endured rough patches at the plate.

In the pandemic shortened 2020 season, Yelich hit just .205 with 12 homers and 22 RBIs in his 247 plate appearances. He struck out 76 times and did not show the type of thunder in his bat Brewers fans had grown to expect.

Last year, Yelich struggled once again. In his 475 trips to the plate, Yelich, now 30, hit just nine home runs. He drove in 70 runs on 99 total hits.

Yelich finished last season hitting .248/.362/.373/.726, by far, his worst season in the big leagues.

About Christian Yelich:

Christian Yelich was a 1st round draft pick of the Florida Marlins in 2010. He was taken with the No. 23 pick overall, out of Westlake High School in California.

Yelich was the No. 23 player chosen in that draft. The Marlins gave him a $1.7M signing bonus, which was above the MLB suggested $1.26M value for that slot.

In July 2018, the Marlins traded Yelich to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielders Lewis Brinson, and Monte Harrison, infielder Isan Diaz and pitcher Yordan Yamamoto.

In the 2018 season, his first year with the Brewers, Yelich made the National League All Star Team, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award. He won the National League Batting Title by hitting .326/.402./598/1.000.

Yelich won the Hank Aaron Award as the best hitter in the league.

His 2018 season also earned Yelich a coveted Silver Slugger Award, the second of his career. He won a Silver Slugger in 2018 as well.

His offensive performance in 2018 put the name Christian Yelich on the lips of baseball fans everywhere. He was exciting to watch. He won games with a loud and very consistent bat.

Pitchers feared him, as he took the ball to all fields and hit with tremendous confidence.

In 2019, Yelich made the National League All Star Team once again. He won another Silver Slugger Award for hitting .329/.429/.671/1.100. This time, Yelich finished second to the Dodgers Cody Bellinger for the Most Valuable Player Award.

In September 2019, Yelich fouled a ball off his knee in the first inning in a game against his former team, the Miami Marlins. Yelich suffered a fractured kneecap and missed the rest of the season, a total of 32 games and the postseason.

Surgery was not required to repair Yelich’s knee.

Injuries Impact Yelich:

After compiling eye-popping statistics in his first two season with the Brewers, Christian Yelich faced extreme adversity in his soaring career.

In his first two years with the Brewers, Yelich was an aggressive hitter, often swinging at the first pitch.

But following recovery from his knee injury, Yelich showed signs of offensive trouble in the second of two pandemic related spring trainings.

Yelich did not return from his knee injury the same hitter.

His once aggressive approach seemed to wane.

Strikeouts mounted in the pandemic shortened season. Usually striking out at a 20% clip in his career, he began to strike out 30% of the time. In fact, he was becoming more passive at the plate, taking good pitches he usually offered at in his first two Brewers seasons.

At one point, Yelich could be viewed as a stolen base threat, but that changed. Having stolen 30 bases in 32 attempts in 2019, Yelich stole four in six attempts in the shorter season.

While breaking his kneecap was an issue for Yelich, an aching back, a condition he had dealt with to a lesser extent early in his career, may have become an even greater problem.

Early in 2021, Yelich missed five weeks due to severe back pain. He looked very stiff at the plate. To this writer, he looked almost “frozen” and immobile. His agility was sapped. He looked rigid and had trouble moving freely. And while Yelich had suffered back pain in his past, his back issues last season were profound.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) showed no structural damage to Yelich’s back.

Regardless of the test results, Yelich had trouble swinging due to his stiff back. It impacted his entire game. At the plate, on the bases, and on defense.

A hitter depends upon the coordination of every part of his body to assure the rhythm of his swing. Free and easy body movement, without stiffness or pain as he triggers his swing, is crucial for sustained success. Yelich’s back issues did not permit a loose, pain-free swing at the plate.

2022 Edition of Christian Yelich:

So far this season, Yelich is looking much more comfortable at the plate and on the field. Both aspects of his game look to be much improved over the 2021 version of Christian Yelich.

On May 11, 2022, Christian Yelich accomplished the following:

1st inning-ground rule double to deep center field

3rd inning-home run to left field

5th inning-single to center field

7th inning-flied out to center field

9th inning-triple down the right field line

Yelich had hit for the cycle-single, double, triple and home run. It was his third career cycle, all against the Cincinnati Reds.

Yelich hit the ball to all parts of the field in that amazing offensive outburst. He looked agile at the plate, even going down in the zone to drive a couple of those big hits.

At the beginning of play May 13, 2022, Yelich was hitting .259/.356/.482/.838 with five homers and 20 RBIs. He had stolen three bases, without being caught. In his 132 plate appearances, Yelich had drawn 16 walks and had struck out 29 times.

Yelich already has more than half the home runs this season (five) than he had all of last year (nine).

To this scout, it looks like confidence has returned to Christian Yelich.

The results so far this season are very encouraging. The sting appears back in his bat.

His presence on the field is a welcome relief to the Brewers front office and their fans.

The Brewers are a team with very good pitching and a mediocre offense. Having a healthy Christian Yelich in the lineup will do wonders for the club. His healthy presence lengthens the lineup and gives opposing pitchers a threat to consider every time he comes to the plate.

Yelich is playing on a nine-year contract that pays him an average annual value of $23,888,889, which can’t help bring additional pressure to his game.

Of course, his aching back can return to Yelich any time. But so far, so good. Yelich looks healthy and revitalized. He is hitting the ball with authority. He looks fresh and strong, and his movements at the plate are fluid and relaxed.