Christian Yelich is finally wearing the “C” for the Brewers, but the move came with a very specific condition: Robin Yount had to be on board first.
Milwaukee officially named Yelich its first team captain on Saturday, making franchise history in the process. Before the decision was finalized, though, Yelich wanted approval from the man many in the organization view as the standard-bearer for the role.
“He had one request that we ask Robin Yount before we do such a thing. Robin agreed wholeheartedly. Because in Yeli’s mind, Robin was the first captain,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy remarked via Hunter Baumgartner.
The idea took shape during a team meeting before Milwaukee’s penultimate regular-season game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
It started inside the clubhouse, then moved to Murphy, who brought it to principal owner Mark Attanasio and president of baseball operations Matt Arnold. Once he had their input, Murphy went to Yelich with the proposal.
Now 34, Yelich joins a very short list of active MLB captains. Only Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals are currently carrying the title.
Even without the official designation, Yelich has long functioned like the Brewers’ clubhouse anchor. Some teammates have even called him “Cap.”
Since arriving from the Miami Marlins in 2018, he has played in 1,089 games for Milwaukee, good for 13th in franchise history. In that stretch, he has hit .277 with an .847 OPS, along with 186 home runs and 616 RBIs.
Yelich’s Milwaukee run started with an MVP season in 2018, when he won the National League award in his first year with the club. He nearly repeated in 2019, finishing second in the voting before a foul ball struck his kneecap in September and ended his season.
He added another milestone in 2024 with his third All Star selection, then backed it up in 2025 with 29 home runs and 103 RBIs.
Before Saturday’s announcement, Yelich was hitting .236 with 12 home runs, 58 RBIs, a .697 OPS and 0.2 bWAR. Over his nine seasons in Milwaukee, the Brewers have made the postseason eight times, won the NL Central six times and taken the division in each of the last four seasons.
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