At 33, Christian Yelich is in the midst of a remarkable comeback season, arguably the third-best of his career after his MVP-caliber campaigns in 2018 and 2019. His performance is particularly notable following a 2024 season that was cut short after 73 games due to back surgery.
With one month remaining in the regular season, Yelich is slashing .270/.350/.467 with 27 home runs, 92 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. His home run total already ranks as the third-highest of his career, and he is on pace to set a new personal best for RBIs, trailing only his marks of 110 in 2018 and 97 in 2019.
This impressive showing follows a slow start. On May 22, Yelich was hitting just .184 with a .600 OPS. Since that date, however, he has been one of the league’s elite hitters, ranking second in batting average (.319), eighth in on-base percentage (.395), seventh in RBIs (66), and fifth in wRC+ (163).
A key factor in his resurgence has been his improved ability to hit breaking and offspeed pitches, an area where he struggled from 2020 to 2022. After frequently hitting below .200 against such pitches in recent years, he is batting .244 against them this season while continuing to excel against fastballs.
Surprisingly, his ground ball rate has risen to 57.6%, yet he is offsetting this with a strong barrel rate, allowing him to drive the ball past the infield. The league’s restrictions on defensive shifts have also contributed, turning potential outs into base hits.
If he maintains this pace, Yelich is on track to achieve the 30-homer, 20-stolen base milestone for the first time since 2019. He has quietly emerged as a steady and essential force in the middle of the lineup, filling the power and production void left by Willy Adames and providing the dependable presence the team has needed.
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