By One Metric, Christian Yelich Was One of the Most Valuable Baserunners of 2023

It's not just that Christian Yelich's offensive skill set leans heavily toward on-base skills, rather than power, at this stage of his career. Yelich also had the second-best Baserunning Runs (BRR) number in MLB in 2023, according to Baseball Prospectus. That system of valuing baserunning breaks out and measures stolen bases, advancements on hits and on outs, and on balls hit in the air and on the ground, as well as moving up on errant pitches. It captures both aggressiveness and efficiency. 

By this rigorously-designed model's estimation, only Corbin Carroll (the Diamondbacks' dynamic star and the unanimous NL Rookie of the Year) was worth more on the bases this season than Yelich, and then only by a hair. Carroll amassed 7.8 BRR, to Yelich's 7.7. While Carroll was a more valuable (and much more voluminous) basestealer and added more value by taking the extra base on hits, Yelich closed the gap by being excellent at advancing on outs. 

Value accrued on the bases can be subtle and easy to miss, but Yelich occasionally made the difference in a game with his intelligence and speed. In the Brewers' memorable July 3 win over the Cubs at home, it was Yelich who (as the trailing runner in a first-and-third, no-out situation, with the game tied 6-6) stole second base, advanced to third (but wisely held there) on a single through the right side, then came home with an insurance run on a sacrifice fly. Without that steal, Willy Adames's single might instead have been a double play, and the Brewers only would have scored once in the inning. If Yelich had tried to score on that hit instead of stopping, it might have ended up a 7-6 game with more momentum flowing toward the Cubs. 

That's just one example. To take another that stands out, recall April 13, when the Crew was in San Diego. Yelich was the automatic runner to begin the top of the 10th inning, and after an Adames walk, he was the lead runner in a double-steal. Rowdy Tellez managed a sacrifice fly to bring Yelich home, and the Brewers held on by their fingernails for a clutch win on the road. It seemed like, especially under the new rules forcing pitchers to work in rhythm and limiting their use of pickoff throws, Yelich thrived. 

Tough decisions lie ahead for Milwaukee. Sal Frelick feels more like a leadoff hitter (if he be a valuable hitter at all) than anything else, after hitting for so little power as a rookie. The team has on-base threats and guys who can run, but they lack the high-end power Yelich still looked capable of delivering when he signed the massive contract on which so much time remains. Still, new skipper Pat Murphy should keep things simple going into 2024. Whatever he might be missing, he has an elite leadoff man, thanks to a good hit tool, a solid approach, and some of the best baserunning savvy in the league.