NEWSLETTER
How about the last two days of Javy being Javy? Even if we ignored the FOUR homers he hit in these past two games, you could point to some impressive plays on defense, some excellent baserunning, and some spot-on decision-making – the things that make Baez such an exciting, valuable player, even when the bat isn’t clicking.
But the bat *IS* clicking, or at least it has the last two days. Here are the serious shots from last night, if you missed them, or if you just want to enjoy them again:
Everything's coming up Javy! pic.twitter.com/4VRsFkHeqO
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 12, 2018
With those four homers – the first four of his season – Baez is now tied for fourth place in baseball in homers, behind only Bryce Harper (6), Eric Thames (5), and Matt Davidson (5). No other Cubs batter has as many as three homers, with Kris Bryant, Ian Happ, and Kyle Schwarber all at two.
Before Tuesday’s home opener, Baez was hitting just .148/.324/.333 with a 65 wRC+. Two days later, he’s hitting .229/.372/.714 with a 173 wRC+. Heh.
That .486 ISO is actually the highest mark in all of baseball, and, hey, how about that 14.0% walk rate? Sure, much of that is from intentional walks, either to get to the pitcher or to Jason Heyward, but you don’t get those walks unless there is at least a *little* bit of concern about facing you. It’s not like opposing pitchers want to turn over the lineup if they don’t have to.
Among some other things …
https://twitter.com/ChicagoCubsPA/status/984405299061772288
The last Cub to homer twice in back-to-back games like Javy Baez just did?
Alfonso Soriano 10 years ago. pic.twitter.com/XZsgBeoyOY
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) April 12, 2018
Javy Báez is 1st #Cubs player in franchise history to record consecutive multi-homer games while playing 2B. He's actually 1st to do so as middle infielder (thanks Ed Hartig for research)
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) April 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/javy23baez/status/984097253580091392
