NEW YORK — MLB Opening Day on April 7th is slowly creeping on us. Baseball fans have been counting the days off in their calendar. Latino Sports continues this week with our Meet The Player thread. There are electrifying ball players on each MLB team; however, there are a certain number of individuals who reflect the game in pure prestige fashion to above and beyond. A player who falls into that category is a two-time All-Star: Javier Báez. Today, we will go into full depth on Báez, the superstar on and off the playing diamond.
No matter the fanbase, baseball fans enjoy watching Báez play ball. He is one of the most thrilling players across MLB. His powerful stride on swings creates rare moments in baseball where entire stadiums are shocked at what just occurred. Báez has the offensive power to deliver baseballs out of ballparks with projected distances farther than 450 feet.
Báez was born and raised in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He grew up with both his mother and father, along with his sister, Noely, who suffers from a spina bifida medical condition. Báez states consistently that he uses her for motivation and is extremely grateful for having such a loving family support system around him from a child on. The city of Bayamón is located on the Northern Coast region of Puerto Rico. It is bordered by cities named Toa Baja and Cataño.
Báez represented his home country, Puerto Rico, in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He played alongside future Hall of Fame catcher Yadier Molina and nine-time All-Star Carlos Beltrán. Key performances from Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa led Puerto Rico to appear in the championship game against the United States. In Los Angeles, in front of a loud 51,565-person crowd, the USA defeated Puerto Rico, 8-0 at Dodger Stadium.
Game announcers, his teammates, Báez himself, as well as baseball fans have created several nicknames to describe his impact on the game. Two that come to mind are “El Mago” and “The King of Tags.” El Mago means The Magician. Báez on the baseball diamond is exactly that. The style in which Báez goes about laying a tag down at second or third base is thrilling to watch. He can get his glove down in creative positions to make for the best tag available based off of outfielders throws in along with catcher throwdowns.
Javier Báez is a finalist for the 32nd Annual Latino Sports National League MVP Award.
In the 2011 MLB Draft, Báez was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the first round with the 9th overall selection. He developed his skills to the fullest degree throughout the minor league system. Báez was named the 16th overall prospect in MLB before the 2013 season began.
In August of 2015, Báez was promoted to the Major Leagues and made a mark from immediately being called on. In his first game on August 5th against the Colorado Rockies, Báez hit a walk-off home run at Wrigley Field. I’d say that’s quite the debut you’d want to have to start off your professional playing career.
On the Cubs 2016 postseason road to their first World Series Championship in franchise history since 1908, Báez played a pivotal role in their advancement to each round of the playoffs. The team’s chemistry and overall performance ultimately made way for a World Series Championship in a legendary seven-game series against the Cleveland Indians. In the 2016 postseason, Báez appeared in 17 games and clipped a .265 batting average with 18 hits and eight runs batted in.
His Chicago tenure ended as the Cubs looked to make a change with their overall roster construction through trades and late-season prospect call-ups. Báez was traded to the New York Mets at the MLB Trade Deadline in July of 2021. Just as in Chicago during his pro-debut, Báez set a mark early in his Mets career.
Javier Báez 2021 Regular Season Statistics with the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets (138 games):
31 home runs, 87 runs batted in, .319 on-base percentage, 133 hits
Báez was one of the most coveted free agents on the market during the pre-lockout period in MLB during November and December of 2021. He came to terms on a six-year agreement with the Detroit Tigers for a total of $140 million. Baseball fans can talk all day and night about how electrifying the 29-year-old Báez is on the playing diamond.
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