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highest ground ball percentage of all hitters at 62.5 percent but, remarkably, the lowest fly ball percentage at 15 percent. He continued sharing his time in the field and eventually was part of a four-player trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in January 2018. The Marlins picked up two prospects in the deal, thought to be in their favor, whereas the Brewers received just Yelich. What the Brewers ultimately ended up getting, however, was a two-time All-Star, league Most Valuable Player (MVP), and the catalyst needed to take the team back to the playoffs. Yelich has developed into one of the best players in the league. He went from sharing time in a crowded outfield for a Marlins team with a losing record to a playoff contender and team in Milwaukee that missed the 2018 World Series by one game. He has even fixed his low fly ball problem from 2015, launching 36 home runs in 2018 and being one of the league’s leaders in the same category in 2019 (hitting 44). He has not changed his approach to the game, but he has clearly risen from contributor to star.

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Christian Yelich