Chicago Cubs: What can we expect from Javier Baez in 2017?

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Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

After a breakout postseason, Chicago Cubs utility man Javier Baez is looking to make a name for himself as a regular in 2017.

The Chicago Cubs have a nice problem: too many quality position players.

Last season, the logjam was broken up to a degree when Kyle Schwarber suffered a season-ending injury just a handful of games into the season. Now, instead of an outfield jam, the middle infield has tightened up at the Friendly Confines.

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On any given day, the middle infield features some combination of Addison Russell, Ben Zobrist and Javier Baez. With Schwarber down last year, Zobrist headed out to corner outfield spots, but will likely be back in the infield more in 2017.

With that in mind, finding consistent at-bats for all these players could prove irksome for third-year Cubs skipper Joe Maddon. Through the postseason, he opted for a Baez-Russell duo up the middle and they did little to dissuade him from continuing that trend this season.

Baez broke out in a big way last fall, winning NLCS co-MVP with teammate Jon Lester, thanks to his offensive exploits. His tags became world-famous in October and his aggressiveness drew praise all across the game.

Leaving playing time out of the equation, what can we expect from the Puerto Rican native in 2017? Will he finally become a bona fide superstar or is he a long-term platoon utility man?

Bat control, bat control, bat control

In his 2014 rookie campaign, strikeouts were the name of the game for Javier Baez.

He whiffed a staggering 95 times in 213 at-bats (47 percent). Hard breaking pitches outside the zone and fastballs in his eyes proved to be too much for the young slugger.

Similarly, in the minors, strikeouts racked up for Baez, as well. In 104 games at Triple-A Iowa in 2014, he struck out 130 times. But with those strikeouts came game-altering power.

Baez entered that season as a consensus top five prospect for good reason. He was coming off a year in which he batted .282/.341/.578 with 37 home runs and 111 runs batted across two levels of the Chicago Cubs’ system.

Following that 2014 campaign, he notably improved in terms of plate discipline. In his late-season call-up, he lowered his strikeout percentage down to 31.5 percent. It was still high, but he looked like a different player than in his first taste of big league action.

A changed man

His batting line drastically improved thanks to the new approach. His average jumped 120 points from the year prior and therefore, his OPS climbed from .551 in 2014 to .733 in 2015.

Last year, Baez appeared in a career-high 142 games for the Cubs, putting up a respectable .273 average to go along with 14 long balls and 59 runs batted in.

In terms of strikeouts to walks, suffice to say there’s still work to do. Baez drew just 15 walks, striking out 108 times over the course of the season.

Tags, throws and dives – he does it all

Even when he goes through cold spells with the bat, Javier Baez is an elite defender who has a very real shot at Gold Glove hardware in the future.

Last year, he put up a 3.5 UZR at shortstop, a 1.7 at third base and 5.3 at second base. He appeared in 140-plus games because of one simple reason: he can play anywhere.

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His 2.7 WAR ranked as the best of his career; and it was a credit to his solid all-around play.

According to Baseball Prospectus, Baez ranks as a very adept defender. As noted above, it didn’t really matter where you put him on a diamond: he performs.

To be honest, it’s hard to break down the 24-year-old’s defensive value using just numbers.

He’s been the make-or-break on countless attempted stolen bases. The time it takes him to receive a ball from the catcher and slap a tag down is quicker than almost any player I’ve ever seen.

You have to chalk some of this up to his reflexes, which are unparalleled. He’s valuable largely because of how mentally adept he is when he’s on a ball diamond.

Since joining the Cubs, Javier Baez has brought a youthful energy on a daily basis. More often than not, it’s on defense that he leads the troops.

A step back, but still solid

Projections from Baseball Prospectus should be fairly well-received by Chicago Cubs fans.

They don’t expect Baez to become an all-world offensive threat; his bat control and bad habits still ebb and flow too often for that to happen. Still, there is a lot to like about the numbers.

He’s expected to flirt with the 20-homer mark for the first time in his career and could drive in 60 runs again. The slick-fielding infielder is slated for roughly 20 doubles and 50-something runs, so, given his platoon role, he brings a lot to the table.

Next: Maddon: Kyle Schwarber could catch this season

It’s a step back from the year he had last year. In fact, Prospectus expects his average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage to all tick downward. His average is actually set to dip below .250 again, which would definitely worry Chicago Cubs fans.

Most of all, it’s about maintaining the progress he’s made so far in his still-young career. It’s been a long road since he was dominating Triple-A pitching on a nightly basis, but there’s still even longer to go.

It seems like Javier Baez is heading in the right direction. We saw just what he’s capable of last year in the NLCS, when he led the Chicago offense against the Dodgers.

But, on the other hand, we saw what he’s prone to: cold spells. He batted just .167 in the World Series, which leaves plenty to be desired. The name of the game is consistency, especially at the plate.

If he can stay patient and control the strikeouts, it looks like Javier Baez will play an important role again in 2017.

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