Christian Yelich revealed that he’s gone back to the drawing board after struggling at the plate for the past two MLB seasons.
In sports, hot and cold streaks are a part of the game. Players will have consecutive games in a rhythm and then have matchups where they completely wet the bed. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich has been in a pretty severe cold streak this season, not hitting the ball like his 2018 NL MVP year. In fact, Yelich’s struggles date back to the 2020 season.
The slugger had a batting average of .205 in 2020 and currently has a .236 batting average in 2021. Those are far below his career average of .294, and Yelich knows he is in a funk. In an interview with Brewers.com, the star player revealed that he’s had to start from scratch in an attempt to find his swing again.
Brewers: Christian Yelich admits he’s starting his baseball swing from scratch
Yelich’s struggles at the plate the past two seasons are concerning, given he was a sensational slugger in 2018. His strikeout rate jumped over 10 percentage points in 2020 per ESPN, and he’s only hit five home runs in 2021. He’s also dealt with back problems this season, which could drastically affect a player’s swing. The former NL MVP admitted that his problems at the plater caused him to start from scratch and rebuild his swing again.
“Literally, we’re starting from square one and trying to figure s–t out. It’s been a mess, but that’s part of the game. In the grand scheme of things, it feels like it’s been two years, but it’s been 400 at-bats. It’s been a really s—-y 400 at-bats,” Yelich told Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy.
The Brewers outfielder also added that he is “trying not to suck anymore,” hoping to debunk his problems at the plate.
The Brewers are leading the NL Central by seven games, so Yelich’s struggles haven’t impacted the team too badly. However, they will need him to find his rhythm again soon if they want to make a deep run in the postseason.