The Milwaukee Brewers have built a great foundation of young players that will help them be one of the most competitive teams in the National League for years to come. Perhaps, though, one of their most intriguing (and deepest) position groups is their outfield.
Jackson Chourio, the youngest player in MLB history to have 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season, is going to be a fixture in Milwaukee’s outfield for the better part of the next decade. Sal Frelick just won his first career Gold Glove in right field. Blake Perkins is a Gold Glove caliber center fielder himself, and Garrett Mitchell has the potential to be a bonified star.
Of course, the long-time veteran of the outfield group is former NL MVP Christian Yelich, who had an impressive season in 2024 before being shutdown due to a back injury.
Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Christian Yelich Returned to Form in 2024
Very few predicted that Yelich would be the player he was in 2018 and 2019 when the Brewers acquired him from the Miami Marlins. Sure, he had won a Gold Glove in Miami, but he was not a power hitter and had hit .300 in a season only once.
But in 2018, he hit .326/.402/.598 with 36 home runs, 110 RBI, and 22 stolen bases. He was named to his first career All-Star team and won the NL MVP. He was arguably better in 2019, hitting .329/.429/.671 with 44 home runs, 97 RBI, and 30 stolen bases and was well on his way to a second MVP, but a shattered knee cap on a foul ball ended his season a month early.
As fans are well aware, Yelich struggled to return to form after that injury. His batting averages over the next four were .205, .248, .252, and .278. While his on-base percentage never dipped below .350, his power was gone and his ability to find holes in which to slap the ball seemed to have disappeared.
However, he did get better and better in each season.
And then in 2024, he finally was able to put it all together. He was voted as an All-Star starter for the first time in his career (third All-Star game overall) and hit .315/.406/.504 with 11 home runs, 42 RBI, and 21 stolen bases.
Unfortunately, a lingering back injury turned its ugly head and Yelich needed surgery, ending his best season in years prematurely.
Christian Yelich Should Be Ready for Milwaukee Brewers Opening Day 2025
When Yelich first was ruled out for the rest of the 2024 season, many wondered if the back surgery he was getting would affect his availability for the beginning of the 2025 season as well.
Fortunately, it sounds like it will not. Brewers insider Adam McCalvy recently wrote, “Yelich looks to be on track for Opening Day after undergoing back surgery in August, and the Brewers have the depth to cover the outfield ably if he’s the designated hitter early in the season.”
As one can see, McCalvy does not rule out the possibility that Yelich starts the year as the team’s designated hitter. This would make sense given his injury history and the high defensive quality of the other outfielders.
Either way, Brewers fans should be thrilled to see that their three-time All-Star will be ready for the start of the 2025 season.
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