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Four reasons why Christian Yelich is a dark-horse MVP candidate
Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Four reasons why Christian Yelich is a dark-horse MVP candidate

By Taylor Bretl  |  Last updated Jul 13, 2024 10:17 AM ET

Milwaukee outfielder Christian Yelich has quietly crafted one of the more underrated seasons in Major League Baseball this season.

Shohei Ohtani (-310 MVP odds, per Fan Duel as of Saturday) of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Bryce Harper (+650) of the Philadelphia Phillies are putting up impressive resumés for the National League Most Valuable Player Award, but Yelich (+6500) is also delivering a remarkable performance.

Posting first-half numbers better than his MVP-winning year in 2018, Yelich is making a case for himself in this year's discourse. 

A Comeback Player of the Year Award is more likely this season for Yelich, but the 32-year-old is vying to add another MVP award to his collection. Several factors from his season contribute to the potential realization of that outcome.

Statistics as of July 13, 2024. 

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.

2. Keen discipline at the plate

This season, Yelich is posting the lowest strikeout rate of his career at just 18.5% — 3.1% lower than his career average and 3.7% below the 2024 MLB average.

Among his 55 strikeouts, Yelich has gone down looking only 13 times, showcasing his ability to avoid unnecessary strikeouts. His strong plate discipline has contributed to his outstanding on-base percentage of .412, the highest among all qualified National League hitters.

3. Surge in hard contact frequency

Yelich has been ravaging baseballs all season long, and his recent games have seen an even greater surge in exit velocity. On 17 of his past 25 hits, Yelich has smoked the ball 101+ mph, with eight exceeding 107 mph. His remarkable power has carried over to the long ball, earning him an average home run distance of 411.7 feet — the highest average distance among all left fielders. Hard contact and extra-base hits boast Yelich's .521 slugging percentage, the fourth highest in the National League.

4. High-level baserunning

Yelich collected his 200th career stolen base this season, making him one of five active players in the 200 home run / 200 stolen base club. He became just the 53rd player in MLB history to achieve the dual feat.

Under first-year Brewers manager Pat Murphy, Yelich has embraced Murphy's request to be more aggressive on the base paths. Totaling 21 stolen bases through his 68 games played (caught once), Yelich is on a pace to trounce his career high in stolen bases (30) with 43.

Taylor Bretl

Taylor Bretl is a student at Virginia Tech and founder of Around the Globe Baseball. While his passion is MLB, he also has a strong connection with football and basketball at the professional and collegiate levels.

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