Brewers $188 Million Superstar Scrutinized For Role In Team's 'Mediocrity'

The Milwaukee Brewers were a sneaky good offensive team in 2024, and that has decidedly not been the case in 2025.

So far this season, the Brewers rank 19th in position player fWAR (3.8) and 24th in wRC+ (90). They're buoyed by their excellent defense, but they aren't getting the contributions they need on offense, and their stars carry a hefty share of the blame.

Jackson Chourio has been inconsistent, while William Contreras is having a substandard offensive year while playing through a fractured finger. But it's outfielder/designated hitter Christian Yelich who is beginning to come under the most scrutiny.

Yelich, the former National League Most Valuable Player, is off to the slowest start of any Brewers star in his return from back surgery last August. He's hitting .197 with a .657 OPS, both of which would be major career-worsts if they kept up over a full season.

On Friday, Just Baseball's Joey Peterson took Yelich to task for his struggles, predicting that the Brewers won't be able to achieve their goal of returning to the playoffs if the three-time All-Star can't pick up the pace.

"(Christian Yelich) has looked like a shell of his 2024 All-Star self to open the new year. Yelich was terrific in his 73 games last season prior to hitting the shelf with back surgery, but he has failed to hit the ground running in 2025," Peterson wrote.

"The Brewers need a spark on offense, especially with the way the Cubs are swinging the bat. Yelich has proven that he can be that jolt of life in the middle of the order, and he can be the one to help this team break out of its stretch of mediocrity."

Milwaukee doesn't have a qualified player with an OPS of .800 or better entering play on Friday. And of all seven qualified players, only Joey Ortiz (.441) has a worse OPS than Yelich, who is getting paid $24 million this year as part of his seven-year $188.5 million extension.

The Brewers expect to be a playoff team, and that won't happen if their longest-tenured star can't provide some stability to the middle of the order.