Back in action: Yelich, Crew looking for 'more of the same'

PHOENIX -- Christian Yelich’s offseason was fairly normal, aside from being a few weeks longer. Keston Hiura spent the extra time tweaking his swing. Freddy Peralta stayed in Milwaukee all winter for reasons he will soon be able to proudly disclose. And Corbin Burnes kept particularly busy, winning the National League Cy Young Award, taking part in CBA negotiations as one of the Brewers’ representatives to the MLB Players Association and then becoming a dad.

Burnes’ son, Carter, was born March 2.

“I love the game. Hopefully he grows up to love the game,” Burnes said. “We’ll see, it’s going to be exciting. I’m looking to go home and get a nap right now.”

The players took different paths to the same place on Friday, American Family Fields of Phoenix, where an empty clubhouse came to life thanks to an agreement between MLB and the MLBPA. Yelich and Hiura took batting practice in a group that included Willy Adames, Tyrone Taylor and organizational newcomers Mike Brosseau and Brett Sullivan, while Peralta threw live batting practice in the first sign of the accelerated timeline ahead.

The first Spring Training game is one week away, March 18 at the Dodgers per a revised schedule released Friday afternoon. Opening Day is April 7 at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.

“The guys that are here, everyone is excited to be here and to get underway and have all that stuff behind us,” Yelich said. “We’re getting ready for the season, playing baseball again, doing all the fun stuff.”

What did his past few months look like?

“For a while, it was pretty much normal, until this last month was the only time it was not normal,” Yelich said. “Guys had to get creative to figure out ways to get ready, to stay in shape. There was the, ‘We’re going. We’re not going. We’re going.’ It’s good that that’s over. It was nice to be able to wake up today and know [Spring Training] was going to happen.”

Yelich said there were frustrating moments as negotiations ebbed and flowed. His teammate Burnes knew that firsthand, since he took part on a number of calls between union representatives when the Brewers’ primary rep, Brent Suter, was unavailable.

It was Suter who formally cast the vote on behalf of the Brewers’ contingent to approve the CBA.

“Suter did the majority of them and did a phenomenal job of keeping us all connected,” Burnes said. “It’s one of those processes that don’t want to happen, but I think it’s something that was necessary for the players’ side to try to get a fair deal and try to make baseball more competitive, more of what fans want to see. I think we were able to do that. Hopefully in these next five years, in the course of the CBA, we’re going to have a lot more competitiveness. Players are going to get paid younger. Hopefully this is going to be beneficial for everyone.”

It felt good to be back on Friday, he said. Burnes lives in the Phoenix area but by rule could not work out at the team’s facility during the lockout.

“Everyone has missed baseball,” Burnes said. “Fans, of course, have but we have, too. This is what we do for a living. We love playing the game, we love having fun. There’s definitely excitement being out here today.”

Said Peralta: “For one moment, I thought that we were not going to be able to play 162 [games], but we made it. I’m excited to be back.”

While Peralta aims for more of the same after a terrific season, Hiura is hoping for something different. He was demoted to the Minors multiple times during an unproductive 2021 season at the plate, and he spent the offseason working to minimize his signature leg kick.

Spring Training offers the first opportunity to test the change in live at-bats.

“I know everyone in baseball was itching to get back,” Hiura said. “[My mechanical change] has been going really well this offseason. I felt really comfortable with it. Once I get into live at-bats with live pitching against some velocity and offspeed, it’s definitely going to help in preparing for the season.”

Ditto for Yelich, who will prepare for a bid to return to MVP form. The Brewers will have another informal day on Saturday before Sunday’s official report date. By Monday, the full squad will be on the field together.

“I think everyone missed Spring Training, missed being here and being around everyone,” Yelich said. “Everyone always looks forward to spring. The start of a new year. You never know what it’s going to hold. We’ve had some good teams, a good group of guys, and hopefully it’s more of the same this year.”