Javier Baez “not a lock” to make Chicago Cubs’ roster

Repeating what has been his stance since he assumed the reins in Chicago, first-year manager Joe Maddon told reporters on Thursday that no player – not even infielder Javier Baez – who is one of the most highly-regarded prospects in all of Major League baseball.

Last season, Baez struggled – and that’s putting it mildly – striking out in roughly half of his 213 at-bats with the Cubs last season. His strikeouts were eyesores for everyone in attendance, often culminating in poorly-timed cuts at breaking pitches out of the zone. However, he also brought the fans to their feet with tremendous home runs – continuing a trend that spans his entire professional career.

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Prior to his call-up late in the season, Baez continued to dominate in Des Moines, tearing up Triple-A pitching with great regularity. In 104 contests, the 22-year-old infielder hit .260/.323/.510 with 23 home runs and 80 runs batted in – although he did strike out 104 times. His big league career got off to a stellar start, with Baez recording multi-homer games multiple times in his first week with the Cubs – but things tailed off quickly.

The Friendly Confines weren’t very kind to Baez, who limped his way through 29 games at home, batting just .136 – which paled in comparison to his already-weak .211 clip away from Wrigley Field. This spring, according to reports, the young infielder hasn’t improved his approach – which is troubling, to say the least.

So far this spring in Cactus League play, Baez is just 3-for-26. He has not homered. He hasn’t drawn a single walk and he’s also struck out seven times. Keith Law of ESPN offered this take on the Cubs prospect earlier this week – and the news isn’t good.

"… the biggest name on the field to start the game was Javier Baez, whose approach was … exactly what it was at the end of last season."

Law has plenty more to offer (ESPN Insider access required) – and it’s definitely worth checking out. He breaks down a couple of Baez’s at-bats from earlier this week – explaining exactly why his approach should concern Cubs fans moving forward.

With the likes of Arismendy Alcantara and Tommy La Stella – not to mention Mike Olt, who is playing well so far this spring, as Maddon noted – Baez is far from guaranteed a roster spot. The Cubs don’t need more strikeouts. They need their coveted prospect to come to Chicago at least somewhat improved from last season.

And right now, it doesn’t appear Javier Baez is ready to do that.