Milwaukee Brewers superstar Christian Yelich has been in MLB for almost a decade.
Along the way, he has had some spectacular seasons and some underwhelming seasons, but there’s no denying that he has accomplished a lot.
Today, we’re going to rank the 29-year-old’s three best MLB years so far.
We have nine to choose from.
Let’s get started.
3. His 2016 Season
Yelich’s 2016 season was the year that a lot of folks started to take notice of him.
It was his fourth year in the league, but it was his first great season.
He finished the year with a slash line of .298/.376/.483.
He posted an OPS of .859, OPS+ of 135, and wRC+ of 134.
Over 155 games, he blasted 21 homers, 38 doubles, and three triples, driving in 98 runs in the process.
He posted a solid 4.9 WAR and finished 19th in MVP voting.
He also earned his first-ever Silver Slugger Award, and it was much deserved.
2. His 2018 Season
Oddly enough, Yelich’s MVP campaign in 2018 comes in at No. 2 on our list.
This isn’t a hot take, either.
Most folks would likely agree that his best season came after 2018.
However, there’s no doubt that his 2018 campaign was a sensational one.
He led the league in batting average (.326), slugging (.598), OPS (1.000), OPS+ (164), total bases (343), and position player WAR (7.3).
He homered 36 times, doubled 34 times, and tripled seven times.
Christian Yelich playing like the NL MVP pic.twitter.com/zXJ2q46w1B
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) September 30, 2018
As mentioned, he took home the NL MVP award.
He also earned an All-Star selection and Silver Slugger honors.
Once Yelich finished his 2018 season, he was pretty much universally regarded as a superstar.
1. His 2019 Season
Yelich’s 2019 season featured some unbelievable accomplishments, and it’s crazy to think that he somehow didn’t win the NL MVP award.
Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers took the award home instead (which, to be fair, was a justifiable selection).
Yelich led the league in every major rate stat.
He posted league-bests in batting average (.329), on-base percentage (.429), slugging percentage (.671), and OPS (1.100).
He also managed a 179 OPS+ and 175 wRC+, meaning he was 79 percent and 75 percent better than league average in those respective categories.
The slugger clubbed a career-high 44 homers and added 29 doubles and three triples.
Stop. Pitching. To. Yelich.
That's 3 for the MVP! pic.twitter.com/ZJpKTbu2Tb
— MLB (@MLB) April 16, 2019
He also racked up a WAR of 7.0, marking his second straight season with a WAR of 7.0 or better.
After the former first-round pick did all of this, the Brewers decided they wanted him around for the foreseeable future.
The team inked him to a nine-year deal worth $215 million.
Wrap-Up
Since signing his massive deal, Yelich has been somewhat underwhelming.
He took a step back in 2020 when he posted a .786 OPS and 110 OPS+, and this season, he hasn’t been much better.
He has just a .742 OPS and 100 OPS+.
Fortunately, he’s just 29 years old, so he figures to still have plenty of gas left in the tank.
The three-time Silver Slugger will presumably put in a lot of work in the upcoming offseason to ensure that he’s back to his MVP-caliber self in 2022 and beyond.
That’s Milwaukee’s hope, anyway.
The organization is married to this guy until 2029.
It’s clear what he’s capable of, and now it’s just a matter of getting back to his old ways.
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