For over three years, Milwaukee Brewers fans have been asking the question, “When will Christian Yelich be back?” While Yelich has, for the most part, avoided long IL stints over the past three seasons, his production has been far from his 2018 and 2019 levels.
Subscribe to My Substack for Daily Wisconsin Sports Updates
Over the past three years, he has shown flashes of being the player who won the 2018 NL MVP and hit .327/.415/.631 with 80 home runs and 207 RBI in his first two seasons in a Brewers’ uniform. However, he has struggled mightily for the most part.
In the three full since breaking his knee cap after fouling off a pitch in 2019, Yelich has hit .243/.358/.388 with 35 home runs and 130 RBI. However, his offensive production so far in 2023 is eerily similar to his production at this point in the 2018 season before he exploded into MVP form.
Is Milwaukee Brewers Star Christian Yelich Finally Back?
Yelich finished the 2018 season, a year in which he was an All-Star and the MVP, hitting .326/.402/.598 with 36 home runs and 110 RBI to go along with 22 stolen bases.
What many people forget, though, is that a great deal of that production came in the second half of the season. In fact, his numbers at the All-Star break in 2018 are nearly identical to his numbers now as the 2023 All-Star Break approaches:
- 2018- .288/.361/.454, .815 OPS, 15 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 43 RBI, 12 stolen bases, 23.3% strikeout rate, 45.5% hard hit rate
- 2023- .282/.379/.452, .831 OPS, 17 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 41 RBI, 22.4% strikeout rate, 54.1% hard hit rate
Aside from the batting average and a miniscule difference in slugging percentage, all of Yelich’s 2023 numbers are better than they were at this point of the 2018 season.
Christian Yelich’s Recent Play Suggests He Is Getting Even Better
As noted above, the stats listed are from July 3, 2023. Two days later (and following two Brewers losses), Yelich has improved his batting line to .286/.380/.450.
In May, Yelich hit .284/.376/.466 with four home runs and 13 RBI. In June, he hit .320/.417/.495 with two home runs and 13 RBI.
And then there is this little nugget:
Over his last 32 games, Christian Yelich has 38 hits, 25 walks, and 28 runs scored.
Only other times this has occurred in #Brewers history:
Christian Yelich (2018)
Paul Molitor (1987) pic.twitter.com/i7rkVc8Oot— Brewers Stats (@BrewersStat) July 3, 2023
Now, if that isn’t something to be excited about, what is?
Yelich was recently snubbed for the All-Star Game, but he is clearly returning to All-Star form. If he has a second half in 2023 like the one he had in 2018, things will get pretty exciting in Milwaukee.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
