The New-Look Javier Báez Is Enjoyable Once more

By way of his first three seasons in Detroit, Javier Báez was largely a disappointment, with a mix of flashy protection and free swinging that yielded such diminishing returns that he sank under substitute degree whereas battling accidents final 12 months. He missed the late-season run that helped the Tigers seize a Wild Card spot, and as spring coaching opened, a full-time place of their lineup wasn’t assured. Amid a rash of accidents to different Tigers, he’s not solely break up his time between heart area — a place he hadn’t performed in a daily season sport earlier than — third base, and shortstop, he’s been a productive hitter thanks to raised well being and a few changes to his swing.

Even whereas going hitless on Friday and Sunday towards the Rangers, the 32-year-old Báez is hitting .300/.336/.455 with three homers and a 127 wRC+. The peripherals underlying which are admittedly shaky, and he’s strolling simply 3.4% of the time, however because of optimistic defensive contributions at comparatively unfamiliar positions, he’s fourth among the many crew’s place gamers with 1.1 WAR — and he’s executed it for a crew that has the AL’s greatest document (26-15, .634) and largest division lead (2 1/2 video games). For the primary time in awhile, watching him is an entire lot of enjoyable.

The Tigers signed Báez to a six-year, $140 million deal in November 2021, after he’d break up his season between the Cubs and the Mets (who dealt away Pete Crow-Armstrong within the bundle to accumulate him) — a powerful one through which he posted a 117 wRC+ and 4.1 WAR. He was serviceable at greatest throughout his first season in Detroit (.238/.278/.393, 89 wRC+, 2.0 WAR) however sank to .222/.267/.325 (63 wRC+) with 0.8 WAR in 2023, then hit simply .184/.221/.294 (43 wRC+) in 80 video games final 12 months. He missed practically a month in June and July as a consequence of lumbar irritation; the issue flared up once more in August, accompanied by proper hip irritation. Below the idea that the Tigers have been going nowhere at 62-66, he performed his final sport of the season on August 22 earlier than present process surgical procedure. With out their highest-paid participant — a coincidence that was robust to overlook given his underperformance — the Tigers went a serious league-best 24-10 and snatched the third AL Wild Card spot, their first playoff berth in a decade.

The street to Báez’s restoration started with arthroscopic surgical procedure on his proper hip on September 3. The process, which he had postpone for a number of months, addressed each his hip and decrease again woes, which had factored into his 2022 and ’23 struggles, hampering his flexibility and his potential to rotate throughout his swings. He started his rehab in the course of the Tigers’ run. “It was very laborious,” he stated in February, shortly after reporting to spring coaching. “After the surgical procedure, I used to be figuring out like I used to be coming again for the playoffs, and I nonetheless had 4 months to go.”

“Báez stated he may really feel a distinction quickly after surgical procedure. He was capable of sit up straighter, really feel extra balanced,” The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen wrote in mid-February, a degree at which Báez had been swinging at full effort for 2 weeks and fielding groundballs at shortstop however was not but cleared to run. Given the late-season emergence of shortstop Trey Sweeney, whom the Tigers acquired from the Dodgers within the Jack Flaherty deal forward of the commerce deadline, it appeared Báez is perhaps restricted to platoon obligation at what had been his common place. Below supervisor A.J. Hinch’s plan, he must name upon the flexibility that he confirmed early in his profession with the Cubs in an effort to discover taking part in time.

Báez purchased in. ““If I keep wholesome, I’ll do no matter, man,” he stated in mid-April. “I may even catch if you happen to want me. And A.J. is aware of it.”

By the start of March, the Tigers’ depth chart in heart area had taken some hits, with Parker Meadows identified with a nerve subject in his proper (throwing) arm and Matt Vierling struggling a rotator cuff pressure. Wenceel Pérez emerged because the most definitely candidate for begins whereas these two have been down, however the crew additionally started working Báez into backfields scrimmages in heart, a place he’d performed as a baby after which dabbled at in the course of the 2015–16 Puerto Rican Winter League season and the next spring with the Cubs. The late February addition of free agent Dexter Fowler curbed that experiment, and he wasn’t wanted to man the center pasture for Chicago, however the expertise wasn’t forgotten. After Báez made his Grapefruit League debut in heart for the Tigers on March 23, he stated, “Truthfully, I by no means ended my need to play heart.”

When Pérez was sidelined by decrease again irritation in late March, the Tigers turned to light-hitting superutilityman Ryan Kreidler to be the crew’s Opening Day heart fielder. He began 14 of the crew’s first 22 video games there, with Riley Greene — who performed 27 video games on the place final 12 months and 199 from 2022–24 — making the remaining regardless of the Tigers’ desire to maintain him in left area given his harm historical past. Báez began at shortstop on Opening Day however made simply 5 extra begins there over that 22-game span, in comparison with 9 at third base (the place he hadn’t performed a daily season sport since 2019) in a mixture with Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibáñez.

By that time, each Meadows and Perez have been on the 60-day injured record. On April 21, the crew recalled third baseman Jace Jung from Triple-A Toledo, optioned Kreidler, and gave Báez his first begin in heart area. To that time, he had made a number of uneventful defensive cameos there and had hit a skinny .268/.305/.321 (81 wRC+). He took to the brand new place shortly; the over-the-shoulder seize included within the spotlight reel above occurred in simply his third begin on the market on April 23.

On the offensive facet, Báez has gotten so far by making important changes. He’s closed his stance, lowered his fingers, shortened his swing, and reduce down his chase and whiff charges. If he’s not hitting the ball all that onerous, he’s not less than squaring it up with higher consistency.

Statcast’s new batting stance knowledge, which matches again to the second half of 2023, exhibits Báez looking for one thing that labored however then abandoning it when it didn’t. He went from a stance that was open by 16 levels in 2023 to 1 open by 33 levels final 12 months. He’s closed that all the way down to 10 levels this 12 months, with the gap between his toes growing from 29.8 inches to 32.5 inches over that span. Notably, he’s additionally moved nearer to the pitcher, from a depth of 27.1 inches within the field final 12 months to 19.8 inches this 12 months, and his common level of contact has elevated from 4.6 inches in entrance of the plate to 9.1. Right here’s a comparability between late 2023 and ’24:

And right here’s 2025:

As for the place of his fingers, Statcast doesn’t have that knowledge, not less than not publicly. Beneath is a supercut of three extra-base hits from Comerica Park over the previous three seasons, chosen in order that they supply not less than a considerably constant angle for instance the best way Báez opened his stance and closed it. However first, right here’s a trio of body grabs from simply earlier than Báez started his swing, illustrating how he’s lowered his fingers over this timespan:

And now the video:

Báez isn’t swinging as laborious as he used to, and isn’t taking his quick swing as typically; in actual fact, his frequency of quick swings is lower than half what it was in late 2023 or ’24. He’s trimmed about half a foot off the size of his swing, which as of final 12 months was in a digital tie with Giancarlo Stanton for the majors’ longest:

By swinging from his heels much less, Báez has reduce his swinging strike charge to a career-low 13.5%, down from 14.8% final 12 months and 16.7% in 2023; it was as excessive as 21.7% in ’21. In every of the previous two seasons, he chased 42.6% of pitches outdoors the zone, however he’s reduce that to a barely extra cheap 37.2%, which nonetheless locations him within the fourth percentile amongst qualifiers. His 24.1% strikeout charge is on par with final 12 months, and whereas his paltry 3.4% stroll charge really represents a drop from final 12 months’s 4.2%, it’s not a profession low.

Together with his shorter swing, Báez is making extra frequent contact, notably within the zone, the place his 86.4% contact charge is a profession excessive, seven proportion factors above his profession mark. As I famous above, he’s not hitting the ball all that onerous:

Báez hasn’t posted a mean exit velo of 90 mph or above since 2021, when he accompanied a 90.1-mph common with a 13.4% barrel charge and a forty five.2% hard-hit charge; he offset that by placing out 33.6% of the time, however at that time, he was nonetheless an above-average hitter. Now, he’s hitting extra groundballs (a career-high 51.2%), however not less than when he does elevate the ball, his 21% pulled air charge can be a profession excessive and punches up that batting line a bit.

As you possibly can see above, Báez’s anticipated stats aren’t far faraway from final 12 months. He’s trending upwards, in that since taking up the middle area job on April 22, he’s averaged an 89.7 mph exit velo with a ten% barrel charge, a 42.5% hard-hit charge, and a .304 xwOBA. If he may keep one thing in that neighborhood, he’d be high-quality — a fairly useful participant given his protection (he’s already at 4 DRS and a pair of FRV in 136 innings in heart, for what it’s price).

How this can all match collectively when the Tigers’ different heart area choices are wholesome is unclear. Vierling spent the previous week on a rehab project with Toledo, homering twice whereas being restricted to DH obligation earlier than making his defensive debut in proper area on Sunday. He’s anticipated to spend one other week with the Mud Hens, checking off containers for back-to-back begins in proper and getting reps at third base. “We simply need to slowly however successfully mirror what he’s going to do when he comes again right here,” stated Hinch on Sunday. Pérez and Meadows aren’t eligible to be activated till Might 23 and Might 26, respectively. Neither has begun a rehab project but, although Pérez is extra prone to return in late Might, with early June a extra practical goal for Meadows. As for the present infield, Sweeney has been strong, hitting .254/.329/.365 (102 wRC+), and McKinstry has been higher than that (.274/.370/.395, 121 wRC+), whereas the lately recalled Jung has struggled (.100/.234/.100 in 47 PA) and could also be weak to a demotion.

Given how skinny the Tigers have been stretched by accidents, and the way near a sunk value Báez seemed to be just some months in the past, a crowded roster is a pleasant downside to ponder. Báez could not keep his present tempo on the plate, however the truth that he’s making optimistic contributions to a successful crew once more bodes effectively for the Tigers.