Marlins putting Yelich in spot to succeed

MIAMI -- Christian Yelich already possesses a picturesque swing, a plan at the plate and immense confidence.

The Marlins' 22-year-old outfielder also has the benefit of batting second, just ahead of slugger Giancarlo Stanton.

"He's a great hitter, one of the best hitters in the game," Yelich said. "It definitely doesn't hurt hitting in front of a guy like that. That's going to be awesome."

Yelich was called up from Double-A Jacksonville on Tuesday, and he's already made an impact. Many player evaluators believe he will be a perennial .300 hitter.

In putting together the lineup, manager Mike Redmond is simply looking for the top of the order to get on base for Stanton. Miami has been going with Adeiny Hechavarria leading off and Yelich second.

"When I look at that lineup, I don't really look at it as him hitting in front of Stanton as much as I wanted [Yelich] to hit at the top of the order," Redmond said. "He has speed and he is able to get on base. We need those guys to get on base as much as possible to help Stanton out, so they eventually have to pitch to him. That's what we're looking at."

Still, Yelich is learning the ropes in the big leagues. But to fulfill his potential, he understands he has to make adjustments and remain grounded.

"I think it's going to come down to an experience thing," Yelich said. "Kind of just feel it out and make some adjustments from there. You kind of know what you're getting into, but not really. It is the big leagues, but you can't really look at it any differently."

A first-round pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, Yelich enjoys the big stage and showing what he can do.

"You've got to be confident," he said. "If you go up there with no confidence, it's not going to end well for you. You realize there are going to be ups and downs. That's the game of baseball. You've been dealing with it your whole life, so you should be all right with that."