Christian Yelich took a leap of faith. It was a lucrative leap of faith, mind you. Yet it was still a leap of faith.
The star outfielder was 28. He won back-to-back National League batting titles for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018-19, his first two seasons since being traded from the Miami Marlins, while winning league MVP honors the first season and runner-up the next.
Yelich could have entered free agency and chosen from well-heeled, big-market franchises with perennial postseason aspirations.
Instead, Yelich chose to remain in Milwaukee. Granted, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio was willing to pay up, signing Yelich to a nine-year, $215-million contract through 2028 that includes team options for 2029 and 2030.
But it was still a risk for Yelich. Although the Brewers reached the postseason in 2018 and 2019, they play in baseball's smallest television market, and there were no guarantees Milwaukee could overcome that obstacle and remain consistently competitive.
Those consecutive playoff berths mark the start of a run in which the Brewers have qualified for the postseason in eight of the last nine seasons. The Brewers will make just their second World Series appearance in franchise history, and their first since 1982, on Friday night when they host the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
Why Yelich put his faith in Milwaukee
Yelich clearly made the right choice. In a rare move in today’s game, the Brewers named Yelich team captain last month.
Yelich based his decision heavily on personal relationships. He and Attanasio’s son, Mike, went to high school together in Westlake Village, Calif. Yelich also grew close with then-Brewers manager Craig Counsell and bench coach Pat Murphy. When Counsell left after the 2023 season to become the Chicago Cubs’ manager, Murphy was promoted to take his place.
“I believed in the people that were here,” Yelich told FanSided. “The core of players that we had, you see it shaping up to be a great place. I really liked this organization and felt comfortable in it. Everybody shared the same mindset: we wanted to be a perennial contender and a team to be reckoned with.
“We’ve gone about it a little differently, but it's been a great place to play. I've really enjoyed my time here. It's flown by. It’s been nine years already, which is crazy, but it's been amazing.”
Making the playoffs is no longer enough
The only thing Yelich is missing from his time with the Brewers is winning a World Series ring. He has that chance now after a string of October heartbreak. However, this team has a different mentality. The Brewers showed that in the regular season when they set a franchise record for wins with a 103-59 record while capturing their fourth straight NL Central title.
The Brewers have gone 8-1 in the postseason, beating the San Diego Padres in four games in an NLDS then sweeping the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers in four games in the NLCS.
“I think it's more of just like the expectation to be here at this point,” Yelich said. “Going into spring training and all that, like it's gradually gone from like let's make the playoffs to we're going to make a deep run in the playoffs. Everybody expects to be at this point and to be able to compete at this point.
“I think that's where it's evolved over the last 10 years, going from like trying to just get back to the postseason at the beginning of my time here to we've been pretty constant in the postseason with the goals to make the run in the postseason, not just to get there.”
Yelich is no longer the key cog in the Brewers’ lineup. Now 34, he is used almost exclusively as the designated hitter, and he hasn’t been the same since sustaining a fractured kneecap late in the 2019 season.
Yelich’s influence goes beyond the lineup
Yelich hit .235/.315/.378 with 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 118 regular-season games this year. He is 7-for-24 (.292) with one double in the postseason. Yet Yelich is the Brewers’ unquestioned clubhouse leader and a wonderful ambassador for the franchise, with a friendly demeanor and a strong sense of responsibility.
“He's got a tremendous way of doing it, and I think all young people today that are coming into the game should be so lucky to be guided by a guy like this,” Murphy said. “He doesn't bully them. He's not trying to browbeat them. He's not trying to convince them of everything. He's just living his life the way he lives his life, and he's welcoming -- he's got so many great qualities, and he lives it.”
No matter how the Brewers fare in the World Series, Yelich has permanently cemented his place in Milwaukee lore.
“This place will always be a huge part of my life, somewhere that I'm super grateful for and I'm still enjoying the ride,” Yelich said. “Hopefully, it lasts a few more years.”
Add us as a preferred source on Google