Milwaukee Brewers All-Star outfielder Christian Yelich has been named the National League Player of the Week presented by W.B. Mason for the period ending September 23rd. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
Yelich posted a slash line of .545/.615/1.091 with seven runs scored, 12 hits, four doubles, a triple, two home runs, seven RBI, three walks and two stolen bases over six games played to claim his third career NL Player of the Week Award, all during the 2018 campaign (also: September 2nd & July 29th). Among his NL counterparts, Yelich finished the period first in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, extra-base hits (7) and total bases; tied for first in hits and doubles; tied for third in runs scored, triples and home runs; tied for fourth in stolen bases; and tied for fifth in RBI. All three of Milwaukee's weekly awards in 2018 have been claimed by Christian.
In the first game of his award-winning week on September 17th, Yelich hit for the cycle for the second time this season in an 8-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the California native joined Aaron Hill (2012), Babe Herman (1931), Tip O'Neill (1887) and John Reilly (1883) as the only players in MLB history to hit for the cycle twice in the same season. Yelich, who previously accomplished the feat on August 29th at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park, is the first player to ever do it twice in one season against the same Club. The NL MVP candidate became the 25th player since at least 1908 to record multiple cycles in his career, and just the third active big leaguer, joining Adrián Beltré and Carlos Gómez. The 2016 NL Silver Slugger Award recipient, who enters play today in the midst of a six-game hitting streak dating back to his historic outing last Monday, has tallied at least one hit in all but three of his 20 games thus far in September. The 23rd overall selection of the 2010 MLB Draft is on pace to become just the second player in franchise history to bat at least .320 with 32 home runs and 21 stolen bases in a single campaign, and would join his teammate Ryan Braun, who accomplished the feat during his MVP-winning 2011 season (.332, 33 HR, 33 SB).
Other noteworthy performances last week included All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman (.462, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI) of the Atlanta Braves; starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (2-0, 1.10 ERA, 16.1 IP, 13 SO) of the Chicago Cubs; starters Rich Hill (1-0, 1.29 ERA, 7.0 IP, 7 SO) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 13.0 IP, 13 SO), and outfielder Joc Pederson (.462, 6 R, 3 2B, 3 HR) of the Los Angeles Dodgers; third baseman Anthony Rendon (.435, 5 R, 2 HR, 8 RBI) and shortstop Trea Turner (.429, 8 R, 4 XBH, 3 SB) of the Washington Nationals; and outfielder Michael Conforto (8 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI) of the New York Mets.
In recognition of his National League Player of the Week Award, Christian Yelich will be awarded a watch courtesy of Rockwell.