Javier Baez 2014 ROY-MVP-World Series MVP Thread

[Quality Start Machine]

In 2013 Baez made 44 errors and I don't think I was alone in thinking, at the time, that Baez was a power hitter with a questionable glove.  Not having seen him, we could only go off the stats and the stats seemed to indicate that it was his bat that would get him to stick in the bigs.  When he was called up in 2014, however, it didn't take too many games to see the guy had some good hands.  When Castro missed the last month of September, 2014, Baez moved over to the short and over the course of that final month it became clear that he was an above-average defender.  Last year he played multiple infield positions and he was better at those positions than the incumbent.

Coming into this year I was of the opinion that he had the best glove on the team, that he was even a better defensive SS than Russell--who is a legitimate Gold Glove candidate.  I haven't changed my mind.  Over time, I don't suspect that this will remain true as Russell will have had the opportunity to get better and better but there's something about how Baez moves out there that is just enjoyable to watch. That tag last night was sick but it's not the first time he's demonstrated ridiculously quick and fluid hands. 

2 years ago the thought that Baez' glove would be more impressive than his bat would've seemed outlandish--unless it was because his bat was faltering.  But it's not--the dude's actually hitting, but he's a pretty special defensive player, which is a very nice development.

Let's not forget about Javy's baserunning either - he is a menace on the basepaths. He and Bryant are just so much fun to watch in all phases.

I think I watched his slide stealing 2nd from last Tuesday at least 20 times. Best slide since Rizzo's "it's magic" slide going into 3rd from last year.

It's strange that we all originally pitched trouser tents over his bat, but everything else he's doing has been so fucking fantastic that his bat is damn near a bonus at this point.

But I love the fact that he can be a super sub as opposed to having to be THE MAN, which can only help his development. Now I'm waiting for his first "holy shit" play in the outfield.

[Eli]

But I love the fact that he can be a super sub as opposed to having to be THE MAN, which can only help his development. Now I'm waiting for his first "holy shit" play in the outfield.

You'll be waiting a long time for that. You know, because of the BMI.

[SKO]

In 2013 Baez made 44 errors and I don't think I was alone in thinking, at the time, that Baez was a power hitter with a questionable glove.  Not having seen him, we could only go off the stats and the stats seemed to indicate that it was his bat that would get him to stick in the bigs.  When he was called up in 2014, however, it didn't take too many games to see the guy had some good hands.  When Castro missed the last month of September, 2014, Baez moved over to the short and over the course of that final month it became clear that he was an above-average defender.  Last year he played multiple infield positions and he was better at those positions than the incumbent.

Coming into this year I was of the opinion that he had the best glove on the team, that he was even a better defensive SS than Russell--who is a legitimate Gold Glove candidate.  I haven't changed my mind.  Over time, I don't suspect that this will remain true as Russell will have had the opportunity to get better and better but there's something about how Baez moves out there that is just enjoyable to watch. That tag last night was sick but it's not the first time he's demonstrated ridiculously quick and fluid hands. 

2 years ago the thought that Baez' glove would be more impressive than his bat would've seemed outlandish--unless it was because his bat was faltering.  But it's not--the dude's actually hitting, but he's a pretty special defensive player, which is a very nice development.

Let's not forget about Javy's baserunning either - he is a menace on the basepaths. He and Bryant are just so much fun to watch in all phases.

I think I watched his slide stealing 2nd from last Tuesday at least 20 times. Best slide since Rizzo's "it's magic" slide going into 3rd from last year.

It's strange that we all originally pitched trouser tents over his bat, but everything else he's doing has been so fucking fantastic that his bat is damn near a bonus at this point.

But I love the fact that he can be a super sub as opposed to having to be THE MAN, which can only help his development. Now I'm waiting for his first "holy shit" play in the outfield.

Yeah, it's kind of insane that he's hit 2 homers total since he came up last September, but he's been worth 1.1 fWAR in 40 games anyway thanks to the defense (he's been worth about 4 DRS in that time) and baserunning (1.4 baserunning runs added).

He's obviously not going to keep the BABIP over .400 but hopefully he'll hit for more power as the trade off. His ZIPS projection was .248/.301/.443 with 22 homers, I'd be absolutely fucking thrilled if he gave us that while playing plus defense at 2-3 positions.

[CBStew]

But I love the fact that he can be a super sub as opposed to having to be THE MAN, which can only help his development. Now I'm waiting for his first "holy shit" play in the outfield.

You'll be waiting a long time for that. You know, because of the BMI.

What does body mass index have to do with fielding?

[SKO]

But I love the fact that he can be a super sub as opposed to having to be THE MAN, which can only help his development. Now I'm waiting for his first "holy shit" play in the outfield.

You'll be waiting a long time for that. You know, because of the BMI.

What does body mass index have to do with fielding?

Everything.

[CBStew]

But I love the fact that he can be a super sub as opposed to having to be THE MAN, which can only help his development. Now I'm waiting for his first "holy shit" play in the outfield.

You'll be waiting a long time for that. You know, because of the BMI.

What does body mass index have to do with fielding?

Everything.

I am still curious.  Any other opinions?  Except for Rick Ruschel I can't remember any discussions along this line.

[flannj]

Holy crap this guy.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Holy crap this guy.

Putting on a damn clinic at the hot corner tonight, christ.

[CBStew]

Holy crap this guy.

Putting on a damn clinic at the hot corner tonight, christ.

With a BMI like that what else would you expect?

[Eli]

But I love the fact that he can be a super sub as opposed to having to be THE MAN, which can only help his development. Now I'm waiting for his first "holy shit" play in the outfield.

You'll be waiting a long time for that. You know, because of the BMI.

What does body mass index have to do with fielding?

Everything.

I am still curious.  Any other opinions?  Except for Rick Ruschel I can't remember any discussions along this line.

There was a long discussion on here last year where Tonker said Javy was too fat to play center field, which led to a lot of BMI jokes.

[CBStew]

But I love the fact that he can be a super sub as opposed to having to be THE MAN, which can only help his development. Now I'm waiting for his first "holy shit" play in the outfield.

You'll be waiting a long time for that. You know, because of the BMI.

What does body mass index have to do with fielding?

Everything.

I am still curious.  Any other opinions?  Except for Rick Ruschel I can't remember any discussions along this line.

There was a long discussion on here last year where Tonker said Javy was too fat to play center field, which led to a lot of BMI jokes.

Thank you.  As you may know, I suffer from CRS.

[CT III]

But I love the fact that he can be a super sub as opposed to having to be THE MAN, which can only help his development. Now I'm waiting for his first "holy shit" play in the outfield.

You'll be waiting a long time for that. You know, because of the BMI.

What does body mass index have to do with fielding?

Everything.

I am still curious.  Any other opinions?  Except for Rick Ruschel I can't remember any discussions along this line.

There was a long discussion on here last year where Tonker said Javy was too fat to play center field, which led to a lot of BMI jokes.

Which is ironic, since I believe Tonk himself is now playing centerfield on his softball team.

[Quality Start Machine]

He was also scorching the ball last night.

[Slaky]

Holy crap this guy.

How many plays did he make that made your eyes pop out of your head? 3? 4?

Baez has to be one of the flashiest (and I mean in this in a good way) players to come along in quite some time. Almost everything he does has a flair to it that not many players have.

[R-V]

Holy crap this guy.

How many plays did he make that made your eyes pop out of your head? 3? 4?

Baez has to be one of the flashiest (and I mean in this in a good way) players to come along in quite some time. Almost everything he does has a flair to it that not many players have.

Nice choice, Jim (no seriously - thank you Jim).