'Pro's pro' Yeli nearing home run, stolen base milestones

PHOENIX -- Christian Yelich has been around long enough to know that Spring Training is best spent on the process, not the product.

With Opening Day a week away, Yelich seems to have a firm grip on both as he prepares for a season that could further elevate his status as one of the best players in the Major Leagues.

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“You stay focused on your work and not get complacent here, because bad habits can happen quick,” Yelich said. “You try to keep that focus.

“Obviously, results are great. It’s really just how you feel and the quality of your at-bats, and if you feel like you can control them. Early in camp, sometimes it is there, sometimes it is not. Hopefully toward the end, you start feeling more like yourself.”

Yelich, lately, has looked a lot like himself, the self who has 193 career homers, 184 career stolen bases and a 2018 NL MVP Award as the season opener against the Mets on March 28 approaches.

He has homered in his past two Cactus League games, and the first last Saturday was a testament to his pop. That ball landed close to the Leinenkugel’s refreshment stand well beyond the right-field fence at American Family Fields of Phoenix. His three-hit day on Monday included his second homer.

“I think, for sure, Yeli is in a great spot,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.

Yelich, 32, is poised to join some elite company this season, his seventh with the Brewers. Because of a resurgent 2023, he is within striking distance of becoming one of few active players with 200 homers and 200 stolen bases.

Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, José Ramírez and Jose Altuve are the only active 200-200 Major Leaguers, although Mookie Betts could get there with 28 stolen bases this season.

“Any time you get to round numbers in this game, it’s cool,” Yelich said. "You have to stick around for a little while to hit some of those. They are cool, no doubt, but definitely not a main focus of mine. It’s a hard and challenging game, and you try to prepare the best you can every night and go out there and see what happens.”

Yelich has scored 901 runs, and he is closing in on another round number that would further separate him from his peers. He scored 99 runs in 2022 and 106 last season, and another similar season would enable him to join Trout, McCutchen and Altuve in the 200-200-1,000 club for active players.

Yelich, who has played 1,393 games, could be the second-fastest active player to hit that trifecta. Only Trout, who has played 1,489 games, did it quicker. Altuve has played 1,668 games and McCutchen has played 2,007.

“What I have seen in camp is that type of play is still in there,” new Brewer Rhys Hoskins said. “It’s a testament to the consistency he has been able to find and produce throughout this career, peaking with MVP levels.

“He’s just a pro’s pro, really. I’ve always thought he was a professional hitter. That’s always been pretty obvious. You don’t really see what kind of teammate a guy is until you are in the clubhouse with him. His stature here is pretty big, but he has time for everybody.”

Yelich’s slash line of .278/.370/.447 last season was his best since 2019, when he followed his 2018 MVP year with a second-place finish in the MVP race. He had 28 stolen bases in '23, and Murphy has said 30 is within reach. All of his offensive numbers improved, as did his defense. He was tied for second in the National League with three outs above average in left field, according to Statcast.

The counting numbers could be affected by where Yelich hits in the order. He was the leadoff hitter in 123 of his 141 starts last year, but the Brewers are still evaluating their lineup. Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick have hit leadoff at times this spring, and Mitchell started there again in Thursday's 7-6 loss to the Giants.

Yelich is managing the back soreness that kept him off the field for two weeks last September.

“He’s really made his offseason conditioning and his in-season conditioning a priority,” Murphy said. “It will show. He’s learned how to keep himself on the field. He’s a proud man, he’s a responsible man. He really wants to uphold his end of the deal.

“He has responsibilities to the team, and he knows that. He’s going to represent like he always has. This guy is an underrated leader because he doesn’t talk about it, he just does it. Yeli just speaks when he has to. It’s just wonderful to watch how he impacts people.”