Javy Baez is nicknamed El Mago (the Magician) for so many deserved reasons. The tags. The glove. The arm. The slides. The bat speed. The grace.
But there’s also that undefinable, instinctive quality – the kind where he just processes things so quickly on the field and makes in-the-moment decisions that leave you shaking your head and thinking … it’s magic.
Enter Jon Lester with a great hit up the middle off opposing pitcher Brent Suter. The funky spin on the ball opened up an opportunity for Baez, who was on first base after singling in a couple runs, to take third. So he did. And then he just kept going when he saw the ball dying in front of center fielder Lorenzo Cain (@Cubs):
I just felt like running. pic.twitter.com/43Ald1P7oZ
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 6, 2018
You gotta love new Cubs third base coach Brian Butterfield throwing up the aggressive “stop, no seriously stop” sign, and Baez is just like, “nah, man, I know what I’m doing.”
And then with a fantastic slide and reach, he hits the base before Jett Bandy can apply the tag, resting on the umpire’s leg until he knows he’s safe.
El Mago, baby.