On September 26, Christian Yelich officially became the first team captain in Milwaukee Brewers history. But as his teammates will tell you, he’s been leading the clubhouse for years. “He was the captain before he got the ‘C’,” outfielder Sal Frelick said. Infielder David Hamilton simply calls him the “head honcho.”
Yelich didn’t just arrive in Milwaukee in 2018; he transformed the franchise. Before his arrival, the Brewers had missed the playoffs for six straight seasons. Since then, they’ve won six division titles and made eight postseason appearances in nine years. Manager Pat Murphy credits much of that success to Yelich’s constant drive, even when he’s not the star player he once was.
The leadership shows in the little things. Yelich spends time walking rookies through baserunning details and helping players like Joey Ortiz handle the mental grind of a slump. When the team decided to start Andrew Vaughn over him in a key playoff game, Yelich didn’t throw a fit. He just waited for his chance and delivered a go-ahead hit. “He cares about the Milwaukee Brewers, not Christian Yelich,” teammate Jake Bauers said.
At 34, Yelich is the oldest guy on a young, fast team, but his voice is the one everyone listens to. Before accepting the captaincy, he checked in with franchise legend Robin Yount. Now, with the Brewers four wins away from their first World Series title, Yelich is doing what he always does: helping the guys behind him believe they can win.
