Christian Yelich Completes Miami’s Great Outfield

Sep 6, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich (21) singles in the first inning in a game against the Atlanta Braves at Marlins Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

At only 22 years of age, Christian Yelich was a valuable contributor to the Miami Marlins in 2014, but he should be even better in the coming years. Yelich was regarded very highly as a prospect around the baseball world and his skills have translated to the MLB level. In his first full season, Yelich offered an incredibly professional approach at the plate.

A testament to Yelich’s hitting skills is that he only has one infield fly ball in 206 career games. He has also had a 61% ground ball rate in 2014 that was coupled with an impressive .356 BABIP. While you may think that means Christian Yelich was a benefactor of luck, those numbers fall right in line with his career numbers.

Christian Yelich hit fly balls on only 17.8% of his batted balls. His high frequency of well-hit baseballs is what sustains his .356 BABIP because fly balls are the most likely batted balls to be turned into outs. On the other hand, the low fly ball percentage will limit Yelich’s home run potential, so in fantasy terms, his professional approach is both a gift and a curse.

With 21 steals in his first full season, Yelich has already demonstrated his plus speed. He also bats above Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup, which means that the recently signed slugger will be able to drive home Yelich on a frequent basis. We certainly saw that example come true in 2014 when Yelich scored 94 runs and Stanton crushed 37 mammoth home runs.

The most important thing to remember is that Christian Yelich is very young and he will continue to improve. He may never reach fantasy superstar status like his teammate, Giancarlo Stanton, but Yelich should be a respectable five category contributor and an even better real life player.

I personally think Yelich’s numbers could approach Alex Gordon’s 2011 season where Gordon scored 101 runs, hit 23 over the fence, drove in 87 runners, stole 17 bases, and hit .303. While I do not know if Yelich will ever hit 23 homers, he should be able to hit 15+ HR even though he only hit seven this season. With Yelich’s high rate of solid contact, he could probably hit more homers if his fly ball rate rose, but it could negatively affect his batting average.

Christian Yelich should be a top 100 fantasy option going forward and he should provide consistent value for the long run.

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