Holy Javy Baez: The Cubs Shortstop Has Just Been So Very Good

When I did our off-day check-in yesterday (spoilers: things are looking good), I picked Anthony Rizzo as the “standout” offensive performer of this recent stretch, because, well, he’s been really good. HOWEVER, I think I needed to be more mindful of my choice in words.

While I was saying Anthony Rizzo’s performance was particularly noteworthy – and for very specific, obviously good reasons – I didn’t mean I thought he was the best (let alone only) standout performer of this stretch, because, frankly, Javier Baez (among others) has been an absolute machine.

We’re only a month into the 2019 season, but I’m no longer really concerned that Baez’s breakout 2018 campaign was just some one-off fluke. He may not perform at these MVP levels throughout the entire season, but … he sure is so far.

Through 28 games and 128 plate appearances, Baez is slashing .314/.352/.653 (158 wRC+), and has already been worth 1.6 WAR (6th most in MLB). He’s an absolute stud at the plate, on the field, and, as it turns out, possibly the best base runner in baseball, so here’s a mish-mash of some random and unrelated love for the Cubs standout performer of the year.

  • The Cubs YouTube production team has kept up their end of the bargain, delivering quality content every single week. I think you’ll particularly enjoy Javy Baez Mic’d up:
  • And how about this … In one particularly impressive way, Javy Baez is keeping company with two notable Cubs: Anthony Rizzo and Sammy Sosa …
  • His 10 home runs are tied for the fifth most in baseball, his 25 runs seventh, and his 24 RBI 14th. And it’s worth noting that he’s played as many as 4 fewer games than a some of the folks ahead of him in these rankings.
  • On an individual level, his 5.5 % walk rate is better than it was last season (4.5%) and better than his career average (4.9%). His 26.6% strikeout rate is also below his career average and pretty much right in line with 2018.
  • And here’s some other stray thoughts:
  • What I love most, however, his the quality of his contact. Javy Baez’s 46.0% hard-hit rate this season absolutely blows his career mark out of the water (33.6%) and even dwarfs his MVP runner-up season (35.8%). On top of that, his ground ball rate is lower than it’s been since 2015 and he’s got his highest fly ball rate since his first half-season back in 2014.
  • Here’s another way to talk about that quality contact:
  • https://twitter.com/MATrueblood/status/1123956622198493191

  • On top of that, Baez’s contact rates – both in and out of the zone – are up this season and his whiff rate is down.
  • Indeed, in basically every way you can imagine, Javy Baez is looking even better this year than he did last year when he was voted the second best player in the National League. If that’s not enough to kick your weekend off on the right foot, I don’t know what is.:
  • (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

    written by

    Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

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