The Case to Send Christian Yelich to the All-Star Game

By Lucas Kovnesky | June 20, 2023

It’s been a resurgent season for Christian Yelich thus far.

The former MVP is enjoying his strongest all-around season since 2019, when he blasted 44 home runs and nearly took home back-to-back MVP awards.

While his numbers haven’t been quite that gaudy, the Brewers slugger still deserves his flowers for a strong first half.

Here’s a look at Yelich’s All-Star case.

Red Hot at the Plate

Christian Yelich has been one of the hottest hitters in Baseball as of late.

Since May 1, he’s posted a .305/.400/.510 slash line – a combination of batting average, on-base percentage and slugging that only Freddie Freeman has matched within the same time frame.

Yelich’s .400 on-base percentage since is also the ninth highest mark in the Majors since May 1.

The surge in production has put the former MVP on pace for 20 homers and over 30 stolen bases season – numbers only two players reached in all of MLB last season.

Carrying the Crew

The hot streak couldn’t have come at a better time, as the Crew has counted on Yelich to put the offense on his back in the middle of a tight divisional race. Here’s how his numbers stack up among Milwaukee’s position players:

He’s been the team’s most valuable player offensively and the engine that has kept the Brewers running during a rough stretch this June.

But when Yelich is on, the Brewers are on, too. In victories, Yelich has tallied a .914 OPS and six of his nine home runs.

Flashing the Leather

All eyes have been on Yelich’s offense, but he’s quietly enjoyed an impressive defensive season from left field as well.

He leads qualified National League left fielders in defensive runs saved (4) and outs above average (4), which puts him in the 92nd percentile among all of MLB.

While he doesn’t sport the same cannon as Joey Wiemer, Yelich is one of the rangiest left fielders in Baseball. There are only three outfielders in the National League with more range runs than Yelich, meaning he gets to batted balls at an elite level.

Essentially, Yelich has been a vacuum in left field, and he’s a huge part of a high-performing outfield in Milwaukee.

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