Yelich to the Brewers in exchange for Brinson, Isan Diaz, M. Harrison and Yamamoto

[Brewer Fever]

People revisiting this today actually have to think more than a second about it?

[jerichoholicninja]

Isan Diaz was probably the toughest one for me to see go, but IMO Hiura has distanced himself far and away as the better 2B prospect. Diaz has decent enough tools, but the bust possibility is real, whereas Hiura has an already very MLB ready tool in his bat.

 

Now imagine just a simple change to that trade, Hiura gone instead of Diaz and it doesn't look nearly as good.

 

No way would the Brewers have simply switched Hiura out for Diaz. Their value is no where close to the same.

[adambr2]

Isan Diaz was probably the toughest one for me to see go, but IMO Hiura has distanced himself far and away as the better 2B prospect. Diaz has decent enough tools, but the bust possibility is real, whereas Hiura has an already very MLB ready tool in his bat.

 

Now imagine just a simple change to that trade, Hiura gone instead of Diaz and it doesn't look nearly as good.

 

No way would the Brewers have simply switched Hiura out for Diaz. Their value is no where close to the same.

 

Yes, it was. I mean no obviously not now but heading into 2018 Pipeline had Hiura as the #3 second baseman prospect in all of baseball. Diaz was #4.

[sveumrules]

Hiura was ranked 24th by FanGraphs, 32nd by BPro, 47th by BA & 56th by MLB heading into the season.

 

Diaz was ranked 85th by BPro, 87th by FanGraphs & didn't make the preseason top 100 for BA or MLB.

 

Pretty big difference in value between a consensus top 25-50 guy & a borderline top 100.

[adambr2]

Hiura was ranked 24th by FanGraphs, 32nd by BPro, 47th by BA & 56th by MLB heading into the season.

 

Diaz was ranked 85th by BPro, 87th by FanGraphs & didn't make the preseason top 100 for BA or MLB.

 

Pretty big difference in value between a consensus top 25-50 guy & a borderline top 100.

 

I guess, I mean if you're just going by overall prospect ranking. I'll just make 2 points on it:

 

1) Some here preferred Diaz to Hiura at the time as our 2B of the future.

2) If Hiura and Diaz had been swapped out in the deal -- I don't think it would have been shocking.

[liveforoctober]

I do realize these feelings are in the midst of a Yelich hot streak...

 

but I think he will garner MVP votes by the time this season ends... (Cain will as well, and rightly so, as his defense is an attribute...) but what a hitter. Hitting nearly .333 against LHP. Hits to all fields. Currently sitting 8th in Batting Average in the National League. 12th in OBP. 11th in Slugging Percentage. 8th in Runs Scored. 11th in OPS. 13th in steals. If he hadn't missed a few games he would be arguably top 10 in more of the "gathering" stats.

 

I think he grows into some more power in the coming years also. Absolutely stole him. He and Hiura are going to be so much fun to watch the next couple of years.

[trwi7]

I do realize these feelings are in the midst of a Yelich hot streak...

 

but I think he will garner MVP votes by the time this season ends... (Cain will as well, and rightly so, as his defense is an attribute...) but what a hitter. Hitting nearly .333 against LHP. Hits to all fields. Currently sitting 8th in Batting Average in the National League. 12th in OBP. 11th in Slugging Percentage. 8th in Runs Scored. 11th in OPS. 13th in steals. If he hadn't missed a few games he would be arguably top 10 in more of the "gathering" stats.

 

I think he grows into some more power in the coming years also. Absolutely stole him. He and Hiura are going to be so much fun to watch the next couple of years.

 

He's not growing into power unless he stops hitting ground balls all the time.

[liveforoctober]

I do realize these feelings are in the midst of a Yelich hot streak...

 

but I think he will garner MVP votes by the time this season ends... (Cain will as well, and rightly so, as his defense is an attribute...) but what a hitter. Hitting nearly .333 against LHP. Hits to all fields. Currently sitting 8th in Batting Average in the National League. 12th in OBP. 11th in Slugging Percentage. 8th in Runs Scored. 11th in OPS. 13th in steals. If he hadn't missed a few games he would be arguably top 10 in more of the "gathering" stats.

 

I think he grows into some more power in the coming years also. Absolutely stole him. He and Hiura are going to be so much fun to watch the next couple of years.

 

He's not growing into power unless he stops hitting ground balls all the time.

 

Dang. You're right.

[brooks_quichenick]

I do realize these feelings are in the midst of a Yelich hot streak...

 

but I think he will garner MVP votes by the time this season ends... (Cain will as well, and rightly so, as his defense is an attribute...) but what a hitter. Hitting nearly .333 against LHP. Hits to all fields. Currently sitting 8th in Batting Average in the National League. 12th in OBP. 11th in Slugging Percentage. 8th in Runs Scored. 11th in OPS. 13th in steals. If he hadn't missed a few games he would be arguably top 10 in more of the "gathering" stats.

 

I think he grows into some more power in the coming years also. Absolutely stole him. He and Hiura are going to be so much fun to watch the next couple of years.

 

He's not growing into power unless he stops hitting ground balls all the time.

 

That may be, but I don't believe that the Brewers necessarily need another power hitter anyways. Yelich puts the ball in play. He can knock one out of the park enough to keep pitchers honest, but his strength is contact/hitting the ball where it's pitched, and he has a lot of success slapping ground balls that find a hole.That is really needed come potential playoff time when you're getting a team's best pitchers out of the pen in big situations every night.

[The stache]

Yelich has gone absolutely bonkers the last eight games.

 

17 for 33 (.515 AVG), 5 runs, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 10 RBI. .529 OBP/.939 SLG/1.469 OPS.

[Outlander]

Yet there are people disappointed and underwhelmed by what he has done. Not sure what people were expecting or why their standards were so high.

[MrTPlush]

Yet there are people disappointed and underwhelmed by what he has done. Not sure what people were expecting or why their standards were so high.

 

Well before the last week I’d say he was probably not as great as they look now. Still really good. A lot of people were hoping he would have a nice breakout moving to Miller Park instead of Marlins Park...then at his age a lot of people are hoping for a nice breakout that way.

 

Now I think he has turned his stats into the best of his career...though not as much as one would have hoped with the parks he plays at now.

[jjfanec]

Yelich is now second behind only Matt Kemp for ops among qualified OFers in the NL. Add in his steals too I am not sure what else we could want. Anyone who watches him can see how pure his swing is. He has great at bats, worst the count, and hits the ball very hard. A few too many ground balls maybe but all in all it is hard to be disappointed

[coolhandluke121]

When a guy hits that many ground balls and is still on pace for nearly 3,000 hits after this many years in the majors, you probably have to dig a little deeper into the batted ball stats. He has a great swing, hits to all fields, hits LHP's well, and seemingly hits grounders a little harder than average. He seems to have excellent command of his bat and I think he's a sustainable ~.300 hitter despite his high GB%. Big difference between a professional slap/spray hitter from the old school like him and an RHB who grounds out to SS every other time he comes to the plate.

[FVBrewerFan]

I still believe a lot of people look at stats through the lens of the past. Back when the best OFs were all hitting 40-45 bombs. Those days are over. I really questioned Yelich making the ASG until I looked at the numbers. Very simply, there's not a bunch of guys hitting over 1.000 OPS anymore.

[Outlander]

Yet there are people disappointed and underwhelmed by what he has done. Not sure what people were expecting or why their standards were so high.

 

Well before the last week I’d say he was probably not as great as they look now. Still really good. A lot of people were hoping he would have a nice breakout moving to Miller Park instead of Marlins Park...then at his age a lot of people are hoping for a nice breakout that way.

 

Now I think he has turned his stats into the best of his career...though not as much as one would have hoped with the parks he plays at now.

I guess I don't understand that last part. I expected maybe a few HR bump but certainly not a 30 HR type of guy that will win MVP awards. His numbers were not as great a week ago but still above career norms. I think expectations were too high, he was still selected as an All-Star and rightfully so.

[JohnBriggs12]

I shudder to think where they'd be without Yelich.

[Ennder]

There is an absolute super star in that body if he can put it all together. His hard hit % is absolutely elite, his K% is very acceptable in today's game. He is an elite baserunner. He rarely pops out which is pretty big. He is one of the best players in baseball at barreling the ball. As someone else mentioned though his one big flaw is he doesn't elevate the ball enough. Time will tell if he is an Eric Hosmer who just never gets over that flaw or he becomes a Daniel Murphy who figures it out.

[MrTPlush]

Yet there are people disappointed and underwhelmed by what he has done. Not sure what people were expecting or why their standards were so high.

 

Well before the last week I’d say he was probably not as great as they look now. Still really good. A lot of people were hoping he would have a nice breakout moving to Miller Park instead of Marlins Park...then at his age a lot of people are hoping for a nice breakout that way.

 

Now I think he has turned his stats into the best of his career...though not as much as one would have hoped with the parks he plays at now.

I guess I don't understand that last part. I expected maybe a few HR bump but certainly not a 30 HR type of guy that will win MVP awards. His numbers were not as great a week ago but still above career norms. I think expectations were too high, he was still selected as an All-Star and rightfully so.

 

There were high expectations. Some thinking he might alter his swing to get more loft. He really hasn’t so the power number didn’t really get aided by Miller Park.

 

Not necessarily my expectations, but a lot of people were calling for 25+ HR.

[reillymcshane]

I looked at Yelich's road splits from 2015-17 and saw a guy who hit .307 with an .867 OPS. He hit 30 HR on on 873 ABs during that time frame, so I figured he was good for about 25 in Milwaukee. Plus, you hope at this age - 26 - he keeps improving.

 

The results: The HR pace isn't exactly there (it's close), but the BA and OPS is right on target: .308 BA and an .876 OPS. I think he's been dinged up a bit this season, and that has affected him a little, but we are seeing the kind of hitter he is.

 

I fully expect him to bash 25 HR and hit .300 annually over the next few years. And I think there's the potential to see him get better - but I'm happy at what he has shown thus far.

[jerichoholicninja]

I posted this in today's in-game thread but it looks like he swings down on the ball. But he squares it up and hits the holes and gaps. Reminds me of prime Ichiro. I doubt he's ever a consistent 20+ HR guy with that swing. But there's nothing wrong with batting .300 with a mid .800's OPS.

[Lathund]

He hits the ball hard, 11th highest average exit velocity in the majors. I'm not bothered that there are a lot of ground balls (And a lot of line drives) among them. It's a tradeoff; You obviously won't hit home runs with ground balls, but they also go for hits more often than flyballs do. If he was a pull hitter I'd be concerned more with the ground balls, but he hits them to all fields (33% left, 40% center, 33% right) and he hits them hard. A hit is a hit, no matter how it comes about.

 

I love his approach, and I'd get several more players of that type if I could. For some time the mantra was to pound the bottom of the zone with a lot of sinkers. So hitters respond by altering their swings and approach to more golf-like swings to punish that and hit more flyballs and HRs. That swing is more vulnerable to high heat, so that's likely why you see the pitching up in the zone come back. Which I'd imagine suits Yelich more than it does many others. Then there's also what each person is comfortable with. Trying to instill a cookie-cutter approach, even if it's the optimal one, isn't going to work for everyone, and risks messing some hitters up. I'm sure there are some minor adjustments he can make; he's a talented hitter and an excellent athlete, but overall I'd say the approach should be that if it ain't broke (.310/.377/.500 suggests it ain't), don't fix it.

[jjfanec]

Yelich is currently making a run at the NL batting title. His .314 average is right there with Freeman at .319.

So in the NL he is top 5 in batting average, top 10 in OBP, top 15 in slugging which leads to top 10 in OPS - including now the top OF, while being top 15 in steals. That is an incredibly great line.

[YelichPosse]

I have loved this trade since day one.

 

He , like any player will slump, but as we have seen - when get gets going - he really gets going. His low end production is higher than average... and his high end production is stupid. It's fun to watch a guy who seems to "get" hitting.

 

Oh and we get to watch him for several years...

 

In his prime....

 

Love it.

[xisxisxis]

The only downside to Yelich is that he appears to not take instruction as he hasn't picked up the Brewers trademark of swinging from the heals on every pitch trying to hit a 3 run HR with the bases empty...