Marlins, Yelich finalize 7-year extension

Just months after signing a record-breaking 13-year extension with Giancarlo Stanton, the Miami Marlins locked up another one of their precocious outfielders for the foreseeable future.

The Marlins finalized a widely reported seven-year contract extension with Christian Yelich on Sunday that includes a team option for the 2022 campaign. Yelich, the 23rd overall pick in the 2010 draft, will reportedly make $49.57 million over the next seven seasons, though he could earn upwards of $63 million if the Marlins exercise his 2022 option, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.

Yelich enjoyed his first full season at the major-league level in 2014 and was still two years away from becoming arbitration-eligible, but the 23-year-old emerged as one of baseball's most compelling youngsters with his strong performance last year. 

Yelich, a California native, finished 15th in the National League with 4.3 wins above replacement last season, hitting .284/.362/.402 with nine home runs and 21 stolen bases over 144 games. Yelich also earned his first career Gold Glove award after managing 13 defensive runs saved in left, finishing behind only Alex Gordon for the MLB lead at his position.

Though Yelich hasn't demonstrated much power through the nascent stages of his career, the youngster's plate discipline and contact skills have already thrust him into elite company. Only six other players in history have hit at least .280 with a walk rate greater than 10 percent before the age of 23 (min. 900 plate appearances) - three of whom already have plaques in Cooperstown with another two likely destined for the Hall of Fame, as well.

Yelich's knack for strong contact was readily apparent in 2014, when he managed the ninth-lowest popup rate among the league's 146 qualified hitters, while he also enjoyed marked improvements in both his strikeout rate and isolated power.