Christian Yelich, OF

[Jay]

He had that awesome month in '05.

[Bucklin12]

he had that one at bat. the first one.

[Miamarlin21]

Watching that at-bat live was one of my all-time favorite Marlin moments.

[Fritz]

I feel like our two most iconic regular season home runs came in losses.

[Mainge]

Hermida and? Lo Duca?

[Fritz]

Yup

[Mainge]

Those were fun. Fucking Termel Sledge

[Fritz]

Fuck that guy.

[Ramp]

Seriously, fuck Termel Sledge

[emkayseven]

named to the postseason all star team

Like Ozuna, this will be Yelich’s second All-Star selection this season. Yelich currently leads the team with a .319 batting average and is second in the FSL. He leads the league in slugging (.511) and OPS (.904).

Yelich leads the Hammerheads in doubles (28), triples (4) and stolen bases (19) through 100 games played, despite two DL stints this season. Yelich missed the first week of the season after suffering a fluke elbow injury, but was named the FSL Player of the Week for April 16-22 upon his return. He also missed nearly three weeks after suffering a concussion in early June.

The 20-year old California native was the Marlins’ first round pick (23rd overall) in the 2010 draft. In June, Yelich was selected to play in the MLB Futures Game along with baseball’s other top prospects.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2012/aug/...-roster-25031/

[emkayseven]

Ends the season with a .330 BA

[emkayseven]

Christian Yelich is the best hitting prospect the Miami Marlins have and he might be less than one year away from the majors. His sweet swing and mature plate approach have made the Marlins look like they got a steal with the twenty-third pick of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft. In 2012, Christian Yelich proved himself as an outfielder and continued to flaunt his ability to hit for average. However, he suffered a couple of injuries throughout the season which prevented him from earning a promotion to Double-A prior to the conclusion of the 2012 minor league season.

Christian Yelich missed the first fifteen or so days of the minor league season with both a sprained wrist and a bruised elbow from being hit by a pitch. Yelich is not the biggest or strongest kid, so injuries early on in his career do not surprise me. However, once he fills into his frame a little more, Yelich should be able to stay off the DL more easily. He also missed time in early June due to a concussion obtained when taking a knee to the helmet while sliding into third base. Time till tell as to whether these injuries were flukes or if Yelich will be a player who will struggle to stay healthy.

When Yelich was healthy, he dominated Florida State League pitching. Playing for the Marlins' High-A Jupiter affiliate, Yelich hit .330/.404/.519 in 103 games. Yelich led the FSL in slugging percentage, wRC+, wOBA, and wRAA, despite being just twenty years old. Yelich's power wasn't expected to develop this early, but it is tremendous news that it has.

For a while now, the consensus has been that Christian Yelich has the upside of a player who hits .300 with twenty homers and twenty stolen bases per season. In the FSL, Yelich hit .330 with twelve homers and twenty stolen bases. If you translate that into 162 games, Yelich would have hit eighteen homers and stole thirty bases. That's very impressive to be putting up numbers that you are projected to have down the road as just a twenty year old.

Defensively, Yelich proved two things in 2012. First, he proved that he is more than just a first baseman. With the current state of the majors, having a first baseman that can hit .300 with 20/20 is a lot less valuable than an outfielder that can do the same. By proving that he can play in the outfield, Yelich will be in a better situation for success and he will likely make more money over the course of his career.

The second thing Christian Yelich proved on defense over the course of the 2012 season is that he is not a center fielder. Yelich's athleticism is obvious (especially when he steals bases) but he has neither the arm strength nor the instincts to play center field. The Marlins tried desperately in 2012 to turn Yelich into a center fielder, starting him in ninety-six games out in center field. However, Yelich did not impress the way the Marlins wanted. Yelich will most likely be a corner outfielder long-term, which is not that bad of a thing if you look at where Miami will have depth in the next couple years.

The 2012 season was a huge year for Christian Yelich. He emerged as one of the top forty prospects in baseball, and he left no doubt he was the best player on the field no matter who Jupiter played. In 2013, Yelich will likely start in Double-A, where it will be easier for pitchers to expose his weaknesses. However, if Yelich continues to progress at the rate he did in 2012, he should be in Miami by the end of next season.

http://www.fishstripes.com/2012/9/28...ch-2012-season

[emkayseven]

Named Marlins' Minor League Player of the Year (duh)

Yelich, 20, followed up his award-winning 2011 campaign by boasting a .330 average (131x397), 29 doubles, five triples, 12 home runs and 48 RBI in 106 games for single-A Jupiter. He led the Florida State League in slugging percentage (.519), ranked second in average and on-base percentage (.404), and third in runs scored (76). Among Marlins’ minor leaguers, his 20 stolen bases ranked second, while his average was third. He was honored as a Florida State League Mid-Season and Annual All-Star. The 2010 first-round selection (23rd overall) has a career .322 average (293x909) with 64 doubles, seven triples, 27 home runs and 130 RBI in 241 games and is the only two-time Player of the Year in Franchise history.

http://miami.marlins.mlb.com/news/ar...r_mia&c_id=mia

[emkayseven]

BA's #4 prospect in the Florida State League

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/...ague-prospects

[emkayseven]

Jon Sickels ranks him #11 hitter in his preliminary top 50 2013 hitters ranking

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/...pects-for-2013