Chicago Cubs: Projections for ideal bounceback seasons by key players

Chicago Cubs: Javier Baez saw his bat go ice-cold last season

Last year was no doubt the worst season for Javier Baez since his first stint as a rookie in 2014. In 59 games he hit a dismal .203/.238/.360 with eight home runs, 24 RBI, a .599 OPS, 31.9 percent strikeout rate, 57 wRC+ and was a 0.0 fWAR player. The reason he was not a negative WAR player was because of his defense.

Looking beyond the numbers and just sitting down and watching the games it seemed clear it was getting in his head. He was visibly frustrated with every swing-and-miss while clearly starting to press at the plate after a while. Now he will hit the reset button and move past it.

It is worth noting that Baez in 2019 was on track to have a similar season like had in 2018 before he got injured late in the year. He is 28 years old and still in the thick of his prime so as long as he is healthy and focused he should return to form.

Ideal numbers:

.278/.319/.520 – 28 HR, .838 OPS, 110 wRC+, 2.8 UBR