Doubting the Milwaukee Brewers is a task everyone in baseball should undertake at their own risk.
After another offseason of trading away some of their biggest stars, the Brewers have managed to convince many that they’re the underdogs in the National League Central. Fangraphs projects them to go 82-80, and PECOTA says 81-81. It’s becoming a yearly cycle at this point.
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But after trading away ace Freddy Peralta and starting third baseman Caleb Durbin, the Brewers just might have the entire league exactly where they want them at this point.
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Yelich spells out why projections don’t matter to Brew Crew
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (22) is swarmed by his teammates after hitting a walk-off grand slam home run during the tenth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Brewers beat the Red Sox 5-1 in 10 innings. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
On Monday, outfielder Christian Yelich was asked about those pessimistic projections, and reminded the rest of the league that they meant nothing.
“We just don’t care,” Yelich said, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. “It’s the same story every year.”
The Brewers have won three straight NL Central titles and four out of five. They intend to keep stacking them up, even if the public thinks the Chicago Cubs are destined to finally seize control this season.
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Yelich knows many aren’t saying his Brewers are going to be the best. He also knows that on the first day of the season, opinions instantly give way to results.
“Just because they say you’re going to be bad, or just because they say you’re going to be good, you still have to play the six-month season and everything that goes with that,” Yelich said, per McCalvy. “When all that settles, then you find out what kind of team you were.
“So we kind of block it out. It’s business as usual every single season, kind of the same story. So go out and play, and we’ll see where we’re at.”
The Brewers were projected to win just 81 game by Fangraphs last year. They won 97, and for all the talent they lost, there’s also reason to believe that newcomers like Jett Williams, Brandon Sproat, and Kyle Harrison could bolster them, while young outfielder Jackson Chourio still surely hasn’t hit his ceiling yet.
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Maybe Yelich was speaking to no one in particular on Monday, but there are four teams out there who should still definitely listen.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/brewers/onsi as Brewers’ Christian Yelich Sends Warning Message to Rest of NL Central.