Christian Yelich has quietly crafted one of the most underrated seasons in Major League Baseball this year. While players like Shohei Ohtani (-310) and Bryce Harper (+650) are putting up impressive resumés for the National League Most Valuable Player Award, don’t let them overshadow the remarkable performance Christian Yelich (+6500) has delivered so far this season.
Posting first-half numbers better than his MVP-winning year in 2018, Yelich is making a case for himself in this year’s discourse. While a Comeback Player of the Year Award is more than likely in Yelich’s future, the 32-year-old is vying to add another piece of hardware to his collection. Several factors from his season contribute to the potential realization of that outcome.
Statistics as of July 13, 2024. Odds via FanDuel.
1. High batting IQ
Yelich’s ability to distribute hits to all areas of the field rewards him with one of the best offensive spray charts in the league. Despite his tendency to pull the ball to the right side, Yelich finds ways to punish fielders who adjust for this by driving the ball up the middle and to the opposite field. The high-level tactics Yelich crafts have resulted in his .327 batting average, the second-highest in MLB.
Another reason for Yelich’s high average stems from his exceptional work when playing small ball. While advancing the runner 90 feet is most batters’ goal in a bunt situation, Yelich works ways to both advance runners and still collect a base hit.