(Music Pun Streak #8. Yes, this is the usual insanely clever reference I make with Yelich's customs)
I feel like even if Bryce Harper had never become a superstar, we would have ended up calling him the best player in the NL anyway. I do hold the controversial opinion that most of the legend of Harper is thanks in part to the hype surrounding him all throughout his career in high school, the minors, and eventually the Nationals. And I don't know if his numbers have matched up to the hype.
If we're looking for the NL answer to Mike Trout, might I suggest Christian Yelich? Because with what that man has done since last year, Harper might as well be shaking in his boots.
In the last two seasons, Yelich has a combined batting average of .329, 49 home runs, 142 RBIs, and a 9.4 WAR. And lord knows what those totals are going to be at the end of this season. Because Yelich is for real. He has 14 home runs in one month of gameplay. To pull an asinine stat out of nowhere, that means he's on pace to hit 70 home runs after 5 months of gameplay. If the real world worked mathematically, that'd be possible.
He's also the right marquee star to help lift the Brewers during this noticeably tight season of NL Central gameplay. Every few days, someone else has first. Everyone seems to be in the race, even Cincinnati, who's in last but not especially too far out. St. Louis and Milwaukee seem to be the big guns, and the Cards do have a formidable leader-type in Paul Goldschmidt. But while Goldy has embraced more power numbers, Yelich is a more well-rounded and versatile hitter. Yes, he hits home runs, but he also hits for average. And Brewers seem to be building themselves around Yelich, while also not being completely overshadowed by him (hence Mous and Cain still playing beautifully).
Yelich is the kind of five-tool star that the Brewers needed, and that the NL needed. I sincerely hope he keeps it up.
Coming Tomorrow- A very good, very fun player on a very, very, very okay AL West team.
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