Christian Yelich is easy to overlook. Unlike his cartoonishly muscular teammate Giancarlo Stanton, he doesn't resemble Dwayne Johnson. He isn't flashy and lightning-quick like second baseman Dee Gordon. The man they call "Yelly" is more a slow-and-steady-wins-the-race kind of ballplayer. If you're looking for all the bells, whistles, bat-flipping, and over-the-top swag, you've come to the wrong place. But the thing is, the list of those unimportant things Yelich doesn't have is dwarfed by the vital roles he plays for this Fish team. In 2016-17, Yelich exploded in the second half of the season, yanking pitches into the outfield stands more often than he ever has before. He finished with 21 home runs and 98 RBI. Maybe most important, Yelich missed only seven of the Marlins' 162 games. On a team that had a lot of ups and downs, Yelich was a reliable leader in the middle of the lineup and the corner of the outfield. Yelly should be in Miami for years to come, and for beleaguered Fish fans, that's a rare bit of great news. Now if Jeffrey Loria would just sell the team already.
Readers' choice: Giancarlo Stanton