The Milwaukee Brewers came out on top against the Cincinnati Reds last Monday. Milwaukee crushed the Reds winning eight runs to nothing. While winning at home is crucial for them in order to stay in the Wild Card spot, the night was even more important for the Brew Crew as Christian Yelich hit for his second cycle of the year that same day. The outfielder had a 4-4 game with 4 runs batted in. Performances like this make the former Marlin a contender for something more than just a spot in the postseason.
Yelich By The Numbers
Yelich has had an outstanding season since coming in to the Brewers from the Marlins during the offseason. The California native has certainly been a force to be reckoned with at Milwaukee this year. Take a look at his numbers:
He bats for an average of .318 with 535 at bats under his belt. Yelich has 31 home runs and is just short of triple digit RBI with 97. Add to that and OBP. of .385 and .570 slugging. His value to the Brewers organization is evident both on the field and on the stat sheets as his WAR stat sits at 5.7
The Award Race
The Brewer outfielder is not alone in the race for the trophy. The National League has many deserving candidates to take home the MVP award. For starters, Javier Baez is also a strong contender for the honors. The Cubs’ second baseman has had an outstanding season as well. He bats for an average of .294, 32 long balls and 105 RBI. Furthermore, he has been solid on defense for Chicago and was part of this year’s Home Run Derby.
On the other hand, Yelich is also competing against Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story. Colorado’s shortstop has some pretty good numbers for the season. His batting average sits at .288, 33 home runs and 102 runs batted in. Story also has the third highest WAR stat on the entire Rockies roster (4.7). Story has played a big part on Colorado’s efforts this season as the team has been battling to stay in the playoff picture after losing ground to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Will The Brewers Crown Their MVP?
The National League Most Valuable Player is yet to be decided and while he is not clearly in the lead, Yelich is certainly one of the strongest contenders for the hardware. Numbers help, flashy stats like his could really be useful once the BBWAA members cast their votes. Nonetheless, numbers will not win Yelich the award, in fact, they are overshadowed by a bigger accomplishment. He, alongside names such as Lorenzo Cain and Travis Shaw have turned a Wild Card worthy team into a legitimate postseason threat. That could certainly make him the National League MVP.