Christian Yelich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christian Yelich |
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Yelich with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024
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| Milwaukee Brewers – No. 22 | ||||||||||||||
| Left fielder & Right Fielder | ||||||||||||||
| Born: December 5, 1991 Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||
| July 23, 2013, for the Miami Marlins | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through July 11, 2025) |
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| Batting average | .286 | |||||||||||||
| Hits | 1,678 | |||||||||||||
| Home runs | 223 | |||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 813 | |||||||||||||
| Stolen bases | 218 | |||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Christian Stephen Yelich (born December 5, 1991) is an American professional baseball player. He plays as a left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers in Major League Baseball (MLB). Before joining the Brewers, he played for the Miami Marlins.
Christian Yelich has achieved many great things in baseball. He is a three-time MLB All-Star. He won the Gold Glove Award in 2014 for his excellent fielding. In 2018, he was named the National League's Most Valuable Player. He has also won the Silver Slugger Award three times and has been the National League batting champion twice. Yelich also helped the U.S. team win its first gold medal in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Contents
Playing Baseball: Christian Yelich's Career
Early Years and High School Baseball
Christian Yelich was born in Thousand Oaks, California. He went to Westlake High School. He was a fantastic baseball player there. In his junior year, he hit for a very high batting average of .489. During his senior year, he hit nine home runs. He was recognized as one of the top high school players in the country. After high school, Yelich decided to play college baseball for the Miami Hurricanes baseball team.
Starting Professional Baseball: Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins picked Christian Yelich in the first round of the 2010 MLB draft. He was the 23rd player chosen overall. He quickly showed his talent in the minor leagues. He was even named the Marlins' Minor League Player of the Year in both 2011 and 2012.
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Yelich made his big league debut with the Marlins on July 23, 2013. In 2014, he had a strong season. He batted .284 and stole 21 bases. He also won a Gold Glove Award for being the best defensive left fielder. This made him the youngest Marlins player to win this award.
In 2015, Yelich signed a long-term contract with the Marlins. He faced some challenges that season, including a back injury. However, he still managed to finish the year with a .300 batting average. He was known for hitting a lot of ground balls.
In 2016, Yelich continued to improve his hitting power. He often played as a starting outfielder alongside other talented players.
Milwaukee Brewers: MVP Seasons
On January 25, 2018, the Marlins traded Yelich to the Milwaukee Brewers. This trade brought him to a new team. He quickly became a star for the Brewers. He was chosen for the 2018 MLB All-Star Game.
On August 29, Yelich achieved something special: he hit for the cycle against the Cincinnati Reds. This means he hit a single, a double, a triple, and a home run all in the same game! Just 19 days later, on September 17, he hit for the cycle again, also against the Reds. He was only the fifth player in MLB history to hit two cycles in one season.
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Yelich had an amazing 2018 season. He finished with a .326 batting average, 36 home runs, and 110 RBIs. He won the National League batting title, which was the first in Brewers history. He also won the Hank Aaron Award and was named the National League Most Valuable Player.
In 2019, Yelich continued his incredible performance. He became the first Brewers player to hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break. Unfortunately, his season ended early on September 10 when he fractured his kneecap. Even with the injury, he won his second National League batting title. He batted .329 with 44 home runs and 30 stolen bases. He also won the Hank Aaron Award for the second year in a row.
After the 2019 season, Yelich was the only player in MLB history to have two seasons in a row with a batting average of .325 or higher, 35 or more home runs, and 20 or more stolen bases.
In March 2020, Yelich signed a big contract extension with the Brewers. The 2020 season was shorter due to world events, and he hit 12 home runs. In 2021, he dealt with a lingering back problem that kept him off the field for some time.
On May 11, 2022, Yelich hit his third career cycle, again against the Cincinnati Reds. This made him the first player in MLB history to hit three cycles against the same team! In 2022, he continued to hit a lot of ground balls.
In 2024, Yelich was playing very well, similar to his MVP seasons. However, he had another back issue and needed surgery in August. This ended his 2024 season early, but he hoped to return in 2025.
On May 5, 2025, Yelich played his 1,500th career game. He hit a home run and stole a base in that game. On May 27, he hit his first career walk-off grand slam, winning the game for the Brewers in extra innings. He also had his 12th multi-home run game as a Brewer on May 30. For his great play from May 26 to June 1, he was named the National League Player of the Week.
Playing for Team USA
Christian Yelich played for Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He played in eight games and had a .310 batting average. Team USA won the championship game against Puerto Rico, earning their first-ever World Baseball Classic title. Yelich was named to the All-World Baseball Classic team for his performance.
Christian Yelich's Life Outside Baseball
Christian Yelich is the oldest child of Stephen and Alecia Yelich. His great-grandfather, Fred Gehrke, was a professional American football player. His uncle, Chris Yelich, played baseball for the UCLA Bruins. Christian has two younger brothers: Collin, who played minor league baseball, and Cameron, who is in the United States Marine Corps.
Yelich has a diverse family background. His paternal great-grandfather was from Bosnia and Herzegovina. His maternal grandfather was Japanese.
Christian Yelich appeared as himself in an episode of the TV show Magnum P.I. in 2019. In the episode, he hit a home run off a pitch from one of the show's characters. He also once invited football player Baker Mayfield to batting practice with the Brewers.
Growing up, Yelich was a fan of both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. He owns homes in Malibu, California, and Paradise Valley, Arizona.
See also
In Spanish: Christian Yelich para niños
- List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
- List of Milwaukee Brewers award winners and All-Stars
- Miami Marlins award winners and league leaders
Images for kids
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Yelich with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024
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Yelich with the Marlins in 2017
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Yelich batting during his MVP season in 2018
