Chicago Cubs: Will Javier Baez Be An Everyday Starter By The End Of The Season?

Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez is an incredibly versatile player, as he can play every infield position, and he had been taking reps in the outfield during Spring Training.

He has seen his playing time increase these last couple games, due to Jorge Soler struggling recently. This brings up the question, will Javier Baez be an everyday starter by the end of the season for the Chicago Cubs? If so, what position?

Baez has played second, third, and shortstop this year, already. Joe Maddon has not used him in the outfield yet, so one option is for him to play third, and shift Bryant to the outfield.

Maddon has also mentioned that Baez is the backup first baseman to Anthony Rizzo, but Baez will not overtake Rizzo for the starting position. The likely scenario is the former, with Baez playing third and Bryant moving out to left field.

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This, of course, is assuming Jorge Soler doesn’t turn it around.

The story has been repeated numerous times, that Soler has all the potential in the world, but he just has not been able to get it going offensively, his kryptonite continues to be breaking balls. However, if he can learn how to hit those, he will be a mainstay in the lineup for quite a while.

This move would also help defensively as Baez can play gold glove defense at any position whereas Kris Bryant while already playing above average defense at third to begin with, could potentially play gold glove defense in the outfield.

He has shown flashes of his outfield prowess and versatility already during his time in the Major Leagues, Bryant even started a game in center field last year in Pittsburgh. He is still best suited for the corner positions, though.

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Bryant has a decent arm, playing third the arm has to be strong, and that should translate well to the outfield.

The Cubs really don’t have a wrong answer, with either Bryant 3B/Soler LF, or Baez 3B/Bryant LF. Both options would be wanted by most of the teams in baseball. That’s the beauty of depth, multiple players can play multiple spots, without having much of a drop off at either spot, and the Cubs have that depth.