Christian Yelich

Robot umpires should only be used for challenges, not for every pitch

I think that would be like the furthest extent that you'd want see it. I don't want it like full, I, I just, yeah. Don't think it would be good... I think in big spots if like there's an egregious miss or something like that, like I think even the umpires would probably want it to be corrected.

The shift ban will significantly benefit every left-handed hitter in MLB

Any left-handed hitter, it's gonna be good because even if you weren't a guy that was full shift, you're still losing hits because of it. Analytically teams don't care, it's just more so like just don't hit a homer or a double. You'd get blown up and a ball that would stop in the infield grass basically ended up being a hit, and then you lose the one where you hit a line drive to right field and it hits the third baseman right in the chest.

Robot umpires will have unintended consequences like calling strikes on balls in the dirt

I don't want robot umps. No. Because I think there's gonna be a lot of unintended consequences with that. Because if you just have a square that buzzes ball or strike... there are a lot of breaking balls that'll be like in the dirt that'll clip the bottom of the strike zone technically. I don't want robots.

Manager and umpire arguments are good for the entertainment value of baseball

I need to see managers getting right up into an umpire's face. That's so good for the game because people, it's entertaining. At the end of the day it's an entertainment business. So make things that are entertainment. It reaches a large audience.

Bunting to break up a no-hitter in the World Series is acceptable

If it's like seventh, eighth inning, I don't know... but in like a World Series playoff game... you kind of have to. It's the World Series. Anytime it's the World Series, if it's a one nothing or two nothing game, you kind of have to.

Catchers are the biggest psychos in baseball because they stop projectiles for three hours

I think there's different tiers of it... but catchers, yeah, they're crazy. Who would want to crouch for three hours every day? Just stopping projectiles... getting hit with bats and foul tips... I'm like, you guys are crazy. I wouldn't wanna do that.

I will participate in a Home Run Derby eventually

It's a career-long bet. He never said like next Home Run Derby, you just said ever win a Home Run... At some point before it's all said and done, I got at least seven more years left. So at some point, at some point we're going to get out there. I hope.

A normal person would never get a hit off Jacob deGrom even in 1,000 at-bats

If you did one at-bat for a thousand days, I would say zero [chance of a hit]. Eventually, at you just be standing there and you just be pure guessing on time. The thing with [deGrom] is like, this ball goes like this... and then yeah. I mean, he throws 95-mile sliders and they look like fastballs till you go to swing at it.

I will spend $20,000 on a guys' trip for PMT if I hit 20 home runs in the second half

All right. I like that. Okay. Yeah. Just the guys... 20 home runs? A lot of home runs in the second [half]. 20 for 20. If you hit 20 home runs, we'll do a Brewster's millions, but it's $20,000 weekend where Christian just spends it on us.

The visiting clubhouse at Wrigley Field was extremely small and inconvenient

Same one. It's like this. Yeah, no. It's about this big. It really is like this wide... it wasn't just not good for the visiting team, the visiting clubhouse staff. Everybody that had to be in there, it was just making life difficult.

Clayton Richard is the toughest pitcher I have faced

Actually, Clayton Richard. [I] did not expect that. Yeah, did not expect that.

PMT is 99% responsible for my second half performance

[What percentage of credit for my performance in the second half?] Like 99% probably.

No one will ever hit .400 in MLB again

No. No one will ever hit .400 or even come close to hitting .400... over the course of a full season ever again. There's just too many defensive shifts and there's so much data on hitters and pitchers... those days of come and gone in baseball.

Using the All-Star Game result to determine World Series home-field advantage was the 'dumbest way' to decide it.

I mean, I know it doesn't have any impact on the World Series anymore. Which I think it's right, though. ... it was the dumbest way to decide home field advantage.

Dan Haren's self-deprecating Twitter persona is completely authentic to who he was in the clubhouse.

The way [Dan Haren] is on Twitter and in person is the way he was in the clubhouse. I love him. ... All that stuff's true. ... He was taking 85 out there every day like he was posting every single day.

Giancarlo Stanton and I would still be on the Marlins if Jose Fernandez hadn't passed away.

I'd still be there. Stanton would still be there. We'd all still be there this year if that [Jose Fernandez's passing] didn't happen. This would have been his last year before free agency so we would have been gearing up making a playoff push and we had a ton of talent on those teams.

If a rookie respects Joe West and doesn't complain about borderline calls, West will treat them well for their entire career.

Joe's one of those umpires where when you're a rookie and you're coming up in the league and you don't disrespect him... If he punches you out on a borderline pitch and you're a rookie and you turn back and you start yelling at him, that's a wrap for you for the rest of that day and probably for the next few years. ... Me and Joe have been on really good terms.