Cubs: Javier Baez is projected for absolutely insane numbers this year

Chicago Cubs fans have always had a healthy (maybe unhealthy to spouses) obsession with numbers and stats, and whether you’re old school or new school matters little. While the numbers you’re using and comparing to arrive at a hypothesis or conclusion may have changed in the last 20 years, baseball is currently as much numbers-driven as it’s always been. Perhaps more.

In that light, there are fewer things more exciting and ridiculous in the same moment as trying to extrapolate and project statistics for an entire season based on either a torrid or frigid April. People just love tweeting and talking about things like, “this guy is projected to have 784 home runs for an entire season” or “so and so is on pace to break so and so’s record” after just two games.

Well, we all know most of those things never come to pass, and in fact, most never even continue in any kind of linear way. Notice I said “most.”

Stay with me here.

If I showed you the following seasonal statistics, you’d be absolutely flabbergasted.

• 591 AB
• 97 R
• 138 H
• 16 2B
• 49 HR
• 138 RBI
• 41 SB
• 8 BB
• 280 K
• 4.9 fWAR
• .233/.273/.503 slash line

Enter Ednel Javier Baez.