Milwaukee Brewers: MLB Analyst Has 1 Bold Prediction for Christian Yelich in 2024

The Milwaukee Brewers may have only played eight games so far in 2024, but they are already surpassing the expectations that some had for them. After Craig Counsell spurned the city of Milwaukee in favor of the Chicago Cubs, there were some who believed that the team would fail to contend this season. The trade of Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles only intensified these beliefs.

New manager Pat Murphy, however, warned detractors that his team would most certainly be contenders this season. While it is still early, his club is 6-2 and in second place of the National League Central Division.

How the Milwaukee Brewers Reached 6-2 Through Their First Eight Games

While the Brewers’ latest win over the Seattle Mariners was an offensive slugfest that saw multiple home runs hit, the team’s pitching so far this season cannot be overlooked. Freddy Peralta has stepped as the team’s ace and holds a 1-0 record with a 3.09 ERA and 15 strikeouts through two starts.

Colin Rea, who was slotted as the Brewers’ number-two starter, is 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA through two starts. With Wade Miley on the mend, Milwaukee’s rotation has proven to be in much better shape than many thought it would be, though the backend starters still need to prove they can pitch deep into games.

Of course, the bullpen has been relatively dependable despite a few disappointing outings by various relievers. Abner Uribe has three saves in four chances and Elvis Peguero has a 2-0 record and 0.00 ERA in five games.

The Milwaukee Brewers Offense Has Been a Pleasant Surprise

The Brewers offense has certainly not had any shortage of contributors throughout their first eight games. Milwaukee currently ranks fifth in MLB with a team .274 batting average and ranks fourth with a team .807 OPS.

Some key contributors through eight games include:

• Christian Yelich: 308/.379/.654, three home runs, four RBI
• William Contreras: .387/.444/.677, two home runs, eight RBI
• Willy Adames: .300/.400/.533, two home runs, four RBI
• Jackson Chourio: .281/.324/.500, two home runs, seven RBI
• Oliver Dunn: .318/.400/.545, one home run, four RBI
• Brice Turang: .360/.414/.440, seven stolen bases (leads MLB)

As seen above, two-time All-Star and 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich currently leads the team in home runs. The fact that he has three in his first seven games played (he did not play on Sunday against the Mariners) is surprising to some after he struggled mightily at the plate from 2020-2022.

It seems, however, that the player who clubbed 80 home runs in his first two seasons in Milwaukee may be back. If that is really the case, one MLB analyst has one big prediction for Yelich.

MLB Analyst Predicts that Christian Yelich Will Lead the Milwaukee Brewers in Home Runs

Last season, Willy Adames led the Brewers in home runs with 24. The year before, Rowdy Tellez led the club with 35. For his part, Yelich has failed to hit 20 home runs ever since his knee injury in 2019.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report, however, believes that will change this year:

“If this one is incorrect, hopefully it’s because Jackson Chourio goes off for 35-plus while edging out Yoshinobu Yamamoto for NL Rookie of the Year. It’s also plausible Yelich is the wrong pick because Rhys Hoskins leads the way—though it’s equally plausible Hoskins gets traded if he does continue to mash. (Same goes for Adames attempting to repeat as team leader.)

“Yelich is as good an option as any, though. Even if he doesn’t get all the way back to what he was while hitting 80 homers from 2018 to 2019, he had a bit of a bounce-back year in 2023 and has gotten out to a good start to this season.”