Author: Doug "RotoDaddy" Anderson, Senior Writer
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hours, Milwaukee helped Christian Yelich escape the depleted Miami Marlins, and then gave Lorenzo Cain a new home in the National League.
Fantasy Implications of Christian Yelich Trade and Lorenzo Cain Signing
Nowhere to go but up for Christian Yelich
Normally, I caution Fantasy owners not to overreact to the effects of a trade for a Major League Baseball player, but it’s hard not to get excited about what this could mean for the offensive numbers of Christian Yelich.
In addition to leaving the Fantasy wasteland that the Marlins lineup has become, Yelich and his Fantasy owners have even more reasons to smile. The difference between Marlins Park and Miller Park could not be more extreme. Marlins Park is an extreme pitcher’s park, with 2017 park factors of 0.848 (28th) in runs and 0.835 (25th) in home runs. Miller Park leans much more offensive, with a 1.094 (8th) factor in runs and 1.049 (12th) in home runs. The gap is even bigger for left-handed hitters as Marlins Park plays to a 0.81 factor for home runs to right field, whereas Miller Park is a whopping 1.51.
Think Christian Yelich isn’t going to enjoy the new ballpark? His career home/road splits paint the picture of a pretty big power bump. Over his five-year career, Yelich has notched a .759 OPS with 18 HRs at home and a .839 OPS and 41 HRs on the road. Starting to get a little jazzed?
But wait there’s more! Not only does Christian Yelich get a new ballpark, but he joins a brand new and improved lineup with impact hitters throughout. Both Yelich and Lorenzo Cain profile as potential lead-off hitters. It’s hard to know which way Milwaukee will go, but if Yelich bats second he could easily approach 100 runs and 100 RBIs.
Still not sold? What if I told you the Brewers stole the second-most bases in the Majors last year despite not having one player with more than 23? Yelich is just 26 years old. With such an aggressive team he could very easily top his career high of 21 steals.
We’ve been waiting for the big breakout from Christian Yelich for a while now. This could be the year and it could be across the board. The hype train will kick into gear right away but don’t be afraid to bump Yelich way up your draft boards. At worst you’ll get a five-category player still on the way up.
