Christian Yelich Fantasy Outlook: When should you draft Milwaukee Brewers star outfielder in 2024?
Christian Yelich has been a fantasy baseball staple over the past decade, and while it has not always been smooth sailing, he remains a star outfielder. After a few disappointing seasons from his standard, the 32-year-old enjoyed a bounce-back season in 2023.
Over the course of 144 games last year, the Milwaukee Brewers veteran looked more like his old self. Although he performed nowhere near his MVP-winning season of 2018, it was his most productive season in the past four years. Christian Yelich finished the 2023 campaign with 19 home runs, 76 home runs, and 28 stolen bases.
"Christian Yelich, doing his usual!" - @WillyAdamesMVP
Those numbers on their own are impressive enough, one of the most notable improvements for Yelich came in his on-base numbers. 2023 was the first time that the Milwaukee Brewers star finished with an OPS over .800, finishing with a .818 OPS on the year.
This brings us to 2024 fantasy baseball. The outfield position has a wide variety of skill sets, as well as a wide variety of tiers. This means that the position is divided into a number of class tiers based on production and upside, fortunately for the Milwaukee Brewers All-Star, he should be near the top. So when is too early to draft Yelich this season?
Christian Yelich could go as early as the fifth round in 2024 fantasy baseball drafts
The fact that Yelich should find himself selected in the fifth or sixth round of 2024 fantasy baseball drafts is a testament to his 2023 campaign. Some may consider this an overreaction to his production from last season. However, unlike other players such as Cody Bellinger who enjoyed a bounceback season himself, Yelich's underlying numbers support his level of production.
Because Yelich had a strong 2023 campaign and has the underlying analytics to back it up, that should make fantasy baseball managers feel more comfortable drafting him. That being said, there is a chance that he could take a step back, however, it appears that the Milwaukee Brewers star could be in store for another strong year.
"Pat Murphy said this morning that Christian Yelich and Rhys Hoskins will make their Cactus League debuts this weekend. Gary Sanchez caught a live BP session yesterday and will take BP for the first time today, and is a little behind due to the hand issue." - @Todd_Rosiak
Another reason why Christian Yelich could be worthy of a draft pick in the fifth or sixth round is the fact that he should remain in a prime position in the Brewers' lineup. Not to mention the additions of Rhys Hoskins and Gary Sanchez, and the potential star-turn for top prospect Jackson Chourio, who could all help Yelich boost his counting stats.