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

Cubs: Javier Baez is an anomaly in baseball, a unicorn if you will

He does things that infuriate every single fan and causes more “why would he keep doing that?” moments than anyone in recent memory. And yet, he’s also one of the most exciting and intuitive players you’ll ever see, making plays most of us mere mortals never dreamt of making in the first place. He has enormous talent, enormous power, enormous charisma. Problem is, people still haven’t figured out who Javy Baez is as a player.

While the strikeout projections have come down substantially in the last couple games (including his first day off yesterday that lowered all the numbers), these numbers aren’t actually that unbelievable for Baez. And people most definitely have their opinions about a guy who strikes out 300 times in a season; just check Twitter.

Thing is, wouldn’t you take those numbers at the end of the season for Baez? Sure, all Cubs fans would want fewer strikeouts and more balls in play, but sometimes, that’s just not who El Mago is. An elite Gold Glove defender, you can debate whether or not his particular set of skills will wane (they most certainly will) over time and how maybe he was a fool for not taking a reported contract extension, but you can’t argue the fact that right now, Baez is one of the best shortstops in the game.

Warts and all. Yes, even swinging at what seems like a million low and out-of-the-zone sliders.