Christian Yelich Has New Position in Brewers Lineup, but Same Mindset

The Milwaukee Brewers’ offense has been a mixed bag to open the year, but Christian Yelich has looked as locked-in as ever.

In four games, the Brewers left fielder has already racked up six hits, including two home runs. The former National League MVP has been a prominent driving force behind the club’s season-opening winning streak. That immediate production has come under different circumstances than in recent years.

It’s been an interesting journey for Yelich in a Brewer uniform. First, there was his two-year run as the best hitter in the NL. After his season-ending leg injury in late 2019, we saw a three-year dropoff in production, but then came a rebound season last year that constituted his best output since before that fateful foul ball.

As his profile shifted back from elite slugger to the more balanced, high-on-base style of hitting he showcased during his days with the Miami Marlins, Yelich moved from the three-hole in the lineup to the leadoff spot for about half of 2022 and the majority of 2023.

This year, Yelich is back to hitting third. The change allows Pat Murphy to bat one of Sal Frelick or Garrett Mitchell at leadoff, while splitting his left-handed bats around William Contreras at the top of the order.

The three-hole has long been considered the marquee spot in the batting order, and hitters who occupy it are expected to be run producers. The current iteration of Yelich, who has hit a combined 33 home runs over the past two seasons, does not fit that mold.

The Brewers, however, do not adhere to conventional batting order roles. For example, Frelick, an on-base machine with little home run power, received most of his starts in the cleanup spot last year. Instead, the emphasis is on playing matchups and staggering lefties and righties to prevent opposing pitchers from getting into a rhythm.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Yelich is not altering his mindset to comply with the traditional expectations of someone batting third.

“I don’t think anything really changes,” he said, hours before hitting a 423-foot blast to dead center field in the Brewers’ home opener. “The batting order is the batting order the first time through, and after that, it’s kind of just where you come up in the inning.”

Yelich’s statement aligns with the analytical assertion that batting order holds minimal influence over scoring, in a large sample. Managers can line up their hitters with the hope that everything unfolds according to plan the first time through, but the reality is that base-out states throughout a game are unpredictable. Hitters bat in various situations within a single game, let alone an entire season.

“I’ve hit all over the lineup in my career,” Yelich added. “I’m kind of used to [hitting] wherever you’re at.”

Hitters cannot control the game situation surrounding each plate appearance, but they can control their mindset and approach. Yelich finally looked comfortable in those areas last season, after trading his leg kick for a toe tap and seemingly letting go of the pressure that comes with having once performed like an MVP for two seasons.

Yelich’s offensive identity will be similar to last year's: a good feel for the strike zone and loud contact to all fields when he swings. That's what led to his early success to open the season.

"Great strike-ball [recognition]," Murphy said. "When you're hitting the ball 110, 112 a lot, and your strike-ball is really good, you're going to be a really good player."

Regardless of his spot in the order, Yelich will continue to be patient and draw plenty of walks. He’ll use the middle and opposite fields, knowing that loud contact in the air to his pull side will come naturally if his timing is locked in. The fact that he has no plans to change a productive formula is encouraging, as is his early-season production.