Christian Yelich, OF

[HUGG]

That you know of

[emkayseven]

JUPITER — Bryce Harper has shown in a few short weeks with the Washington Nationals that he's the kind of prospect every team wishes it had. While Christian Yelich is not at Harper's level, the Jupiter Hammerheads center fielder is generating the same kind of excitement in the Marlins' organization.

Harper, 19, and Yelich, 20, have some things in common. Both were first-round picks in the 2010 draft (Harper first and Yelich 23rd) and both grew up in the West - Harper in Las Vegas and Yelich in the Los Angeles suburb of Westlake - where they played with and against each other for years.

And both have all the tools necessary to develop into big-time hitters in the major leagues.

Baseball America ranks Yelich the No. 1 prospect in the Marlins' organization and 37th overall.

"It's not unfair (to compare them) at all," Jupiter manager Andy Haines said. "Christian is right there - upper echelon, one of the top players in the game.

"He can do a little bit of everything: He's a pure hitter, hit for power, good defensive player, run the bases. Both are really good players."

"They have a lot of similar qualities," added Marty Scott, the Marlins' vice president of player development. "Even when you take the tools away, their attitude, hustle, respect for the game are similar. Christian is a joy to be around, and a pleasure to watch develop."

Both players made strong first impressions this season, Harper collecting six doubles in his first nine major-league games and Yelich hitting .500 (12-for-24) to start the season.

Both have cooled a bit since, with Harper hitting .231 and Yelich .275 through Sunday. But Haines, who managed Yelich last year, said he's done well handling the jump from Greensboro of the South Atlantic League to Jupiter of the Florida State League.

"It's pretty hard for a first-round pick to surpass expectations, but he's done that," Haines said of the 6-foot-4, 189-pounder. "For a high school (player) there's usually a learning curve: they're out on their own, learning how to handle themselves, and it's difficult. But he's made a really good transition."

It's not the only transition Yelich has had to make. An infielder in high school, he's moved to the outfield the past two seasons, playing left in Greensboro and center this year.

"All the teams I talked to (before the draft) were planning to convert me to outfield," Yelich said. "Center is my favorite position. I feel comfortable out there, though there is a lot of ground to cover at Roger Dean (Stadium)."

Scott said the biggest flaw in Yelich's game is a looping throwing motion, which is less of a concern now that he's not making bang-bang infield plays.

"We're working on that," Scott said. "But he's a solid center fielder, has good speed, makes tough catches and isn't afraid to leave his feet. You throw in his personality and the respect he shows the staff and his teammates If anybody could have a little arrogance it would be him, but there's none of those things."

Perhaps the toughest decision Yelich has had to make came shortly after he was drafted in the summer of 2010. He had already committed to the University of Miami and kept hearing how much he would enjoy college, but the Marlins were offering a contract that included a $1.7 million signing bonus.

"Ultimately it came down to whether I wanted to play professional baseball or not," he said. "Some people are ready for it, some aren't, but I felt I was ready."

"I love college baseball," Haines said, "but you can't beat this environment from a baseball standpoint. You're playing 140 games, we have spring mini-camp, spring training, fall instructional league. And Christian has been able to handle it."

He still had a few thoughts of what might have been when the Marlins called him up for an exhibition game against UM near the end of spring training. Playing at new Marlins Park, he singled in the tying run in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Marlins won 7-6.

"I would have been a sophomore on the other side of the field, and I was pretty close to doing that," he said. "I definitely think I made the right choice."

Yelich first played with Harper about four years ago, in an all-star game, and he's followed Harper's career closely. Yelich said he's using Harper's big-league success as motivation.

"When you're a little kid you look up at big-leaguers and they're larger than life. But when somebody you know makes it, it pushes you even harder," Yelich said.

While the Marlins could use a more productive bat in center field, Scott said Yelich won't be rushed.

"We're going to be a little more calculating, make sure he enjoys success at every level," Scott said. "We're going to make sure that once he comes up it's a permanent move."

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/...t-2355836.html

[Mainge]

Made the Futures Game roster

[Anonymous]

He also went 3-5 yesterday in his second game back since the concussion.

[Namaste]

Cue Todd saying something unintelligible about how Yelich sucks and will blah blah blah

RIP

[Anonymous]

Kicked ass today. 4-5, with two homeruns, one of which was a grand slam. 7 RBIs on the day.

[emkayseven]

I like him

[Bobbob1313]

A star is born!

[emkayseven]

In FSL:

2nd in AVG (.324)
1st in OPS (.925, next closest is .859)
3rd in OBP (.401)
1st in SLG (.524, next closest is .488)
T-9 in HR (12)
4th in R (69)
T-6 in 2B (27)
T-14 in SB (19)
6th in TB (186)

all of this in 95 games which is ~20 less than most others on the leaderboard

[Namaste]

Anyway he starts Opening Day 2013?

[Mainge]

Hope not.

[emkayseven]

I hope not too, but at this point he really needs to be in AA for the end of the season. Start him in Jax again next year, bring him up in July if he's mashing it. I think at this point they're super afraid of Hermidaing him.

[Miamarlin21]

But they didn't really rush Hermida at all. He was drafted in 2002 and played in rookie ball and Low-A. In 03 he played in Low-A. 2004 in High-A and then 2005 in Double-A. He wasn't called up until August 31. Don't know if that's rushing him. They were in the playoff race and were desperate for a hitter (from what I recall.) I don't think calling up Hermida too soon was the issue. Maybe just sucked? I really don't know why he became so bad. Maybe it's like how Hanley sucked for us, didn't make adjustments? I dunno. Mainge? You're better at analyzing that stuff.

[Mainge]

He wasn't good at baseball.

[Miamarlin21]

Yeah, he only had one good big league year, in 2007.