Chicago Cubs: El Mago’s magic indispensable to this franchise

Oh, oh it’s magic – you know … it’s El Mago. Despite other high-profile names, the Chicago Cubs, Javier Baez is now the biggest piece to their future.

For the last few years, the conversation regarding the most valuable Chicago Cubs started and pretty much ended with Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant. While “Team Bryzzo” will no doubt be cornerstones of this franchise through this current window of contention, they are no longer the most indispensable members of the team.

If the ups and downs of 2018 have taught us nothing else, it is that Javier Baez has supplanted those two as not necessarily the best player on the team, (although he has been this year) but the one who is the most indispensable and fundamental to the success of the franchise going forward. Not bad for a guy a lot of people wanted to trade or get rid of just two years ago, as they labeled him a free-swinging failure.

One of the best indicators that Baez is the most indispensable Cub is where the team sits right now. Despite their season-long struggles that have vacillated back and forth between not scoring and not pitching, the Cubs find themselves in first place in the Central and with the best record in the National League. The main reason for this, quite honestly, is none other than the man we now call “El Mago.” While we have all delighted in Javy’s masterful tagging, scintillating swim moves, and grip it and rip it mentality at the plate, it is none of these talents which best showcase the most compelling reason for his nickname.

Chicago Cubs: Carrying the load in 2018

El Mago has performed his best trick of the season not by making balls disappear over the left-center concourse or by stealing balls out of thin air. No, his best trick has undoubtedly been pulling a first place Cubs team plagued with injuries, free agent failures, and struggles hitting in the clutch clean out of his blue Cubs hat.

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While Anthony Rizzo was struggling or hurt, hitting Javy magically appeared. Kris Bryant struggled to hit with power, and subsequently found himself nursing the reason for that lack of power on the DL. Multi-positional defensive wizard Javy appeared.

As Tyler Chatwood was making balls disappear out of the zone, swipe tag Javy appeared. While Addison Russell was struggling to throw balls to first base, cannon-armed Javy appeared. For months, as Yu Darvish wondered whether his injury was in his head or in his arm, you guessed it- Javy miraculously disappeared diving into the stands only to reappear out of thin air with a ball in his glove.

Except, he hasn’t appeared completely out of thin air. We have all witnessed the sorcery Javy has performed all over the diamond in the past, but those tricks were inconsistent, and at times, extremely frustrating. Some at bats elicited applause from the crowd, some drew tomatoes. Some garnered trophies in the form of NLCS MVP back in the epic 2016 season.

Chicago Cubs: Putting it all together at the dish

In 2018, Javy has consistently put it all together for the entire season and done everything he possibly could to keep the Cubs afloat (other than walk). He leads the team in basically every important offensive category other than OBP, and not just that, he has played at one of the four infield position in 126 of 128 games. He has served as the most important of Joe Maddon’s patented Swiss army knives, ready to deploy wherever the best defender was needed that night.

To date, he has hit 28 home runs, driven in 97 runs, stolen 21 bases (including two crazy thefts of home), and his OPS currently sits at .908, the highest on the team by far and good for eighth in the NL (again, without really walking).

He has played with energy, excitement, ebullience and electrifies the crowd no matter what he’s doing on the field, as evidenced by the fact his fun style of play is popular with the younger fans (he was voted favorite player amongst Little League players during the LLWS- if it’s not magical to capture the wonder of a child, what is?)

He’s on pace for a 6 WAR season as an anchor of the middle of the infield, a middle infield he has had to play double duty for due to the struggles and injuries of Addison Russell.