Christian Yelich won the NL MVP in 2018 sparked largely by a great second half of the season. In spring training, the Milwaukee Brewers star picked up right where he left off.
Yelich homered in Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.
The former MVP is absolutely locked in and ready to go (via @Brewers). pic.twitter.com/Nk3aw8iOUE
— Sportsnaut (@Sportsnaut) March 15, 2019
In general, he’s torn up Cactus League pitching this spring.
How locked in has Christian Yelich been this spring? He is 12 for 24 with four doubles, three home runs, five RBI. Has .500 OBP, 1.042 slugging percentage. I'm no hitting coach but that seems pretty good.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) March 14, 2019
Ordinarily, we might try to avoid getting too excited about this. After all, the games don’t count and hitters are often a little ahead of pitchers in spring training, and even into the opening weeks of the regular season.
But Yelich’s case is a little different.
He was phenomenally good in the second half of 2018. After the All-Star break, Yelich hit a torrid .367/.449/.770 with 25 home runs.
You only do that if you’re seeing the ball extremely well. Similarly, even if it is only spring training, you only hit as well as Yelich has hit in Cactus League action if you’re seeing the ball extremely well.
The offseason has obviously done nothing to cool Yelich’s pace. He’s still dialed in.
Does that mean that Yelich will pick up right where he left off when the regular season begins? Time will tell on that, of course.
But if you’re a Brewers fan, Yelich’s spring training pace offers a lot to be excited about. If you’re a pitcher in the National League who has to face him? Not so much.