StaTuesday: Putting the season of Brewers’ Yelich in historical perspective
Christian Yelich’s season came to an unfortunate early end. In the midst of another possible MVP season, the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder had a chance to reach some significant numbers (such as 50 home runs).
As it stands, though, Yelich still accomplished heck of a lot in his truncated year.
First, let’s take a look at Yelich’s final stats: .329 batting average, .429 on-base percentage, .671 slugging percentage, 1.100 OPS, 100 runs, 97 RBI, 29 doubles, three triples, 44 home runs, 80 walks and 30 stolen bases. All of those except his runs and RBI are career highs (he also had 80 walks in 2017.
Yelich’s OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) is one of the top marks in the past 10 years.
| PLAYER | YEAR | OPS |
| Bryce Harper | 2015 | 1.109 |
| Albert Pujols | 2009 | 1.101 |
| Christian Yelich | 2019 | 1.100 |
| Mike Trout | 2018 | 1.088 |
| Mike Trout | 2019 | 1.083 |
| Mookie Betts | 2018 | 1.078 |
| Miguel Cabrera | 2013 | 1.078 |
| Mike Trout | 2017 | 1.071 |
| Jose Bautista | 2011 | 1.056 |
| Aaron Judge | 2017 | 1.049 |
Yelich not only joined the 30-30 club (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season), but also he became just the 10th player to make the 40-30 club (it’s occurred a total of 12 times). The last player to do it was Ryan Braun in 2012. The first was Hank Aaron in 1963, for the Milwaukee Braves. Thus, Milwaukee players account for 25% of all 40-30 seasons.
| PLAYER | YEAR | HR | SB |
| Hank Aaron | 1963 | 44 | 31 |
| Jose Canseso | 1988 | 42 | 40 |
| Barry Bonds | 1996 | 42 | 40 |
| Ellis Burks | 1996 | 40 | 32 |
| Jeff Bagwell | 1997 | 43 | 31 |
| Barry Bonds | 1997 | 40 | 37 |
| Larry Walker | 1997 | 49 | 33 |
| Alex Rodriguez | 1998 | 42 | 46 |
| Jeff Bagwell | 1999 | 42 | 30 |
| Alfonso Soriano | 2006 | 46 | 41 |
| Ryan Braun | 2012 | 41 | 30 |
| Christian Yelich | 2019 | 44 | 30 |
Unlike the other 40-30 seasons, Yelich was extraordinarily efficient in stealing bases. He was caught just two times (May 24 vs. the Philliesat home plate and July 6 at Pittsburgh, if you’re curious).
Only Travis Shaw – who was perfect on 10 attempts in 2017 – has a better stolen base percentage in Brewers history (minimum 10 attempts) while 93.75% success rate ranks as one of the best in MLB history for players who had at least 30 steal attempts.
| PLAYER | YEAR | SBA | SB% |
| Carlos Beltran | 2001 | 32 | 96.875% |
| Brady Anderson | 1994 | 32 | 96.875% |
| Byron Buxton | 2017 | 30 | 96.667% |
| Ichiro Suzuki | 2006 | 47 | 95.745% |
| Doug Glanville | 1999 | 36 | 94.444% |
| Amos Otis | 1970 | 35 | 94.286% |
| Jimmy Rollins | 2008 | 50 | 94.000% |
| Desmond Jennings | 2012 | 33 | 93.939% |
| Jack Perconte | 1985 | 33 | 93.939% |
| Chrisitan Yelich | 2019 | 32 | 93.750% |
| Jose Reyes | 2014 | 32 | 93.750% |
| Alfonso Soriano | 2005 | 32 | 93.750% |
Speaking of Yelich and his place in Brewers history …
His OPS this season is the best in team annals. He and Prince Fielder are the only two Brewers to post two seasons of a 1.000+ OPS.
| PLAYER | YEAR | OPS |
| Christian Yelich | 2019 | 1.100 |
| Prince Fielder | 2009 | 1.014 |
| Prince Fielder | 2007 | 1.013 |
| Ryan Braun | 2007 | 1.004 |
| Paul Molitor | 1987 | 1.003 |
| Christian Yelich | 2018 | 1.000 |
| Ryan Braun | 2011 | .994 |
| Sixto Lezcano | 1979 | .987 |
| Ryan Braun | 2012 | .987 |
| Prince Fielder | 2011 | .981 |
That’s not the only category in which Yelich finds himself atop of in franchise history. In addition to OPS, Yelich’s 2019 season has him littered across the Brewers’ single-season leaderboard.
| CATEGORY | STAT | RANK |
| Slugging pct. | .671 | 1 |
| AB per HR | 11.1 | 1 |
| On-base pct. | .429 | 2 |
| Batting average | .329 | 6 |
| Home runs | 44 | 6 |
| bWAR | 7.1 | 7 |
| Intentional walks | 16 | T7 |
Yeah, it was a pretty special 2019 for the reigning National League MVP. Sadly, it ended too soon.
Dave Heller is the author of Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow (a Larry Ritter Book Award nominee), Facing Ted Williams - Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns