Brewers: Should Christian Yelich Do The Home Run Derby?

Ever since 2020, Brewers fans have been wondering where Christian Yelich‘s home run swing has gone and how he can get it back. Heck, Christian Yelich is wondering the same thing himself. Maybe the best way for him to find it, is to join the Home Run Derby field.

Some players are announcing their place in the field already and there are only a few spots that remain as of this publication, but is this a crazy idea? I don’t think so. Let’s take a look.

Christian Yelich should try to join the 2022 Home Run Derby in an effort to get his power stroke back at the plate for the Brewers.

Last year, Juan Soto was having a rough first half and didn’t have the power output he was expected to produce. Still, he accepted an invite to the Home Run Derby because he wanted to fix his swing. Most people think the Derby ruins a player’s swing but that wasn’t the case for Soto and it shouldn’t be the case for Yelich either. After the Derby, Soto went on to have a monster second half and he credited it for his turnaround.

Back in 2019, at the height of his powers, Christian Yelich was slated to participate in the Home Run Derby, but had to back out due to a minor back injury. He clearly had the desire to do the Derby and since he hasn’t gotten a chance to participate in it yet, he’d likely still want to do so. Remember when he practiced for it and hit somebody’s boat on the Allegheny River? We all want to see Yelich get back to doing that (except the guy who owned that boat).

This very well could be the secret to unlocking Yelich’s home run swing again. When he gets a chance to try for as many home runs as possible without having to worry about a game or his regular BP routine. It’s an exhibition, it’s for fun, and perhaps by taking part in the Derby, he could find something that clicks. He could feel a change in his mechanics or even mentality that will unlock that home run ability that he knows is in there.

Granted, Yelich isn’t an All Star, but players who weren’t All Stars have done the Derby (and won it) several times before. So he’s not ineligible. The problem is, he simply might not get invited. After his struggles the past few seasons, Yelich’s star power has dimmed a little bit and he may not get a courtesy invite especially given his low power output this season.

MLB is going to want some big sluggers who will put on a show in the event and with Yelich’s high ground ball rate this year, they may not want to put him in there in fear of a low total and a boring round.

Still, if extended an invitation, Yelich should accept it. Or he should at least ask MLB if he can participate. There are a lot of sluggers who don’t want to do it each year and if someone is asking to, perhaps MLB will accept.

It’s just an idea. It might be a crazy one. But it just might work. A big stage, a chance to just swing for the fences with no consequences if he fails, and perhaps Yelich can find that power stroke once more. It worked for Juan Soto. Why can’t it work for Christian Yelich?

He may not be the Christian Yelich of old, but if he unlocks that power again, he can be. That’s something that would be great for Yelich, the Brewers, and MLB overall to get a star player like Yelich back to form.