Chicago Cubs: Can Javier Baez get the buzz back on him?

When will it be Baez’s turn, again?

What a difference a year makes. This year all the talk at the beginning of the season was centered on

and when he was going to make his debut. Then came

and when he was going to get his name called by Chicago. That happened Monday night and he played in his first MLB game Tuesday.

Last year the Chicago Cubs had that similar buzz around them but the name was different. At this time last year, the talk and buzz was all about Javier Baez. When was he going to be called up? Why hasn’t he been called up? Why did he start the season in the minors? All questions that seemed justified last year but aren’t even thought of this year.

Baez’s debut started out fine but it wasn’t long before the buzz that was around Baez turned away from him and towards the next wave of call-ups. Reason for that was justified – Baez did have some good moments but he also showed a lot of weaknesses.

A .169 batting average with 95 strikeouts stayed over him like a dark cloud. The nine homers he hit in his 213 at bats weren’t enough to make anyone forget the average with the swing and misses.

Now that Russell and Bryant have been called up and Russell learning and playing at second base – what does this mean about the future of Javier Baez as far as the Chicago Cubs are concerned? Is he still a part of the plan and one of those pieces that is the foundation of this franchise or is he a piece that will fetch a new piece for the foundation?

While none of us can answer that – we can speculate on the subject. It has been said that anyone is available for the right offer – so what would that right offer be to land Baez? I think obviously a front-line starting pitcher would have to be requested.

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Even with the high strikeout rate that he has, there is still a lot to love about his game. The speed, his range on defense, and his power at the plate – all of those tools are highly valued. You can’t teach his kind of bat speed – that kind of talent is a gift and it is one that will generate a lot of runs when it is controlled.

To be fair to Baez – he hasn’t had the chance to come back and work on getting better this season. Having more important and personal matters on his plate with the passing of his sister – he has been unable to worry about play. Once he is able to come back and focus on baseball again – his main goal should be the strikeouts.

A plus for Baez is that he has the backing of his manager Joe Maddon. Maddon likes his game and I think would like to give him a shot at the big league club.

Chicago Cubs insider and CSNC reporter Patrick Mooney in a new post says, “Maddon pushed for Baez to make the team out of spring training as the Opening Day second baseman, pointing to his strong-arm, defensive range, game-changing speed and flashes of power.”

I still think he could be a very valuable member of this Cubs team. I’ve said before that even if he only gets his batting average around .250 mark, if he can hit 20-25 home runs – I’d be happy with that especially if he can field his position as well.

Hopefully when Baez does come back to baseball from his personal leave – he’ll come back ready to show everyone that he shouldn’t be forgotten and that last year’s buzz should still be around him this year.

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