Joe Maddon Comes to Javy Baez’s Defense

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said some ridiculous things about Javy Baez and Willson Contreras not “respecting the game,” and Baez responded last night after the Cubs lost to the Pirates. That was pretty much going to be the end of things until the next time the teams meet again at the end of May.

That said, Cubs manager Joe Maddon clearly came to the ballpark today with some thoughts on the matter, and I think his words are very much worth sharing:

#Cubs Maddon on Hurdle's criticism of Baez: "I was surprised by it. I did not see it coming at all. Clint and I have had a great relationship. I don't understand why he did what he did. I do believe in not interfering with other groups"

— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) April 13, 2018

Joe Maddon: "Whenever you want to be hyper-critical of somebody, just understand you're pretty much revealing yourself and what your beliefs are more than you are evaluating somebody (when) you have not spent one second in that person's skin."

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) April 13, 2018

#Cubs Maddon on Baez: "If you went to Puerto Rico, he fits in real well. You wouldn't be that concerned with how he plays the game. He plays with a joy."

— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) April 13, 2018