Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is looking good to begin the 2024 season. The former 2018 MVP and 2019 MVP runner up hasn’t been able to return to that level of elite play since a knee cap injury prematurely ended his 2019 season. However his early season success has resulted in a ton of optimism that he may be back.
Christian Yelich hit his fifth home run of the season against the Cincinnati Reds.
During the Brewers 11th game of the season Christian Yelich belted his fifth home run of the season. This was his 10th game of the year in which he is on top of Milwaukee’s early season home run leader board and is tied with Mookie Betts and Marcell Ozuna for the second most long balls in the league. Per Jack Stern of Brewer Fanatic the last time Yelich had five home runs in a 10 game stretch was 2019.
Christian Yelich ropes his FIFTH homer of the season for the @Brewers! 💥 pic.twitter.com/SHr3UxhoO7
— MLB (@MLB) April 11, 2024
Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy discussed Christian Yelich.
First year Brewers manager Pat Murphy has been alongside Christian Yelich throughout his entire career in Milwaukee. Murphy has seen him play both his best baseball of his career and also seen him struggle. Yelich’s hot start to the season and clutch hitting has Murphy saying that this 2024 version of Christian is very good.
Pat Murphy on Christian Yelich: “This looks like a version of Yeli I don’t even want to talk about. … People are starting to look at him like ‘whoa.'”#Brewers // #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/qG8Urvg2r4
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) April 10, 2024
Early season observations regarding Christian Yelich.
Watching Yelich play this year a few things stand out. One is that he is pulling a lot of baseballs to right field. This isn’t saying that he is intentionally looking to do this, but rather it is a product of him seeing the ball very well, his mechanics being in sync, and his hands staying in while still being quick to the ball.
All of this had led to an early season ground ball rate of just 44%. This is the lowest that has been since 2019 (42%). Getting more lift on the baseball has played a big role in his five home runs and .737 slugging percentage.
Hopefully Yelich will be able to keep up this level of play. If he is firing on all cylinders and can return to a 30+ home run, 100 RBI contributor, and 20+ stolen base type player than opposing teams are going to be in a heap of trouble.
Follow me on X @tylerkoerth. Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great up to date sports content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!. We cover the Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers, and Wisconsin High School Sports. Additionally we provide the latest news coverage on the NFL, MLB, and NBA.
