Baez impresses Baez

[badger]

This is the Javy is awesome thread right?

 

[vine]https://vine.co/v/iQjpMPBhh9g[/vine]

[Aaron_Kennelly]

I'm so damn happy that Javy is a part of the core again.

[nolanwood]

I'm so damn happy that Javy is a part of the core again.

[imb]

I remember at one point we all said "well he's a shortstop, if he hits .200 with a lot of bombs, he's got value." But now it's an entirely different story and he's so freaking good defensively at every position that he would have value if he tried to hit with his eyes closed.

[Sammy Sofa]

I wanted him to be the hero today so badly I feel like I willed it to happen. The dong didn't even seem like a surprise. Just destiny.

[JennieGarthAlgar]

The walkoff is obviously the play of the game, but him throwing out Zimmerman on that soft grounder with the bases loaded was right behind it. He is such a valuable player right now, we wouldn't be where we are with Kawasaki up here, thats for sure.

[Sammy Sofa]

The walkoff is obviously the play of the game, but him throwing out Zimmerman on that soft grounder with the bases loaded was right behind it. He is such a valuable player right now, we wouldn't be where we are with Kawasaki up here, thats for sure.

 

There were several times I was wishing he was manning 2B instead of Zobrist today. Zobrist is still pretty damn awesome offensively, but it's often pretty glaring how limited he is defensively at times.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

I wanted him to be the hero today so badly I feel like I willed it to happen. The dong didn't even seem like a surprise. Just destiny.

 

Same here. But, to be fair, I try to will him into being the hero of every game he plays in.

[The_Achiever]

They don't make many like Javy. That was a glorious dong he unleashed today.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

I thought it was interesting that Javy said in the post-game that he likes playing third base the most right now. I tend to agree with that sentiment, though it sucks that it comes at the expense of Bryant moving to the outfield. Javy knows that he is a beast over there, though. His skill set is probably best suited for third. And with it being the hot corner, it definitely makes sense. Javy goes from 0 to 100 real quick, and he doesn't like doing things like being deliberate and considering the consequences of his actions. He does everything fast. There's probably nobody more suited for a position where you make plays at such a breakneck speed.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Baez's ops is somewhere around .823? great googlily mooglily (jerseystyle)

[Aaron_Kennelly]

http://m.mlb.com/video/v673941983/wshchc-grimm-escapes-a-basesloaded-jam

 

What a sexy play. He makes it look effortless, too.

 

Here's a screenshot. Look how far back Javy is playing -- and that's with some time after contact before the camera pans over to him. If he can make the play on that ball, being positioned there, there's really nothing he can't do.

 

http://i.imgur.com/Vj7aR3s.jpg

[NOLA]

The walkoff is obviously the play of the game, but him throwing out Zimmerman on that soft grounder with the bases loaded was right behind it. He is such a valuable player right now, we wouldn't be where we are with Kawasaki up here, thats for sure.

 

There were several times I was wishing he was manning 2B instead of Zobrist today. Zobrist is still pretty damn awesome offensively, but it's often pretty glaring how limited he is defensively at times.

I was thinking this on a double play missed earlier on the replay. Javy would have turned that.

[Sammy Sofa]

The walkoff is obviously the play of the game, but him throwing out Zimmerman on that soft grounder with the bases loaded was right behind it. He is such a valuable player right now, we wouldn't be where we are with Kawasaki up here, thats for sure.

 

There were several times I was wishing he was manning 2B instead of Zobrist today. Zobrist is still pretty damn awesome offensively, but it's often pretty glaring how limited he is defensively at times.

I was thinking this on a double play missed earlier on the replay. Javy would have turned that.

 

And then the one(?) they did turn seemed a bit more nervewracking than it had to be; Zobrist just seemed like he was in slow motion compared to Baez.

[Thusly Boned]

They don't make many like Javy. That was a glorious dong he unleashed today.

 

The sound it made was quite satisfying, too.

[Sammy Sofa]

I'd be very, very pleased if he made those mini-Sammy hops a thing.

 

I was also over at my mom's place watching the game with her, and she actually thought his MLB logo tattoo was "cute," and this woman usually loathes tattoos. The world's gone topsy-turvy.

[Banedon]

Need more Baez in this lineup. I'm not sure if I'd rather have him at 2nd or 3rd though.

 

2nd Baez, 3rd Bryant, LF Zobrist

 

or

 

2nd Zobrist, 3rd Baez, LF Bryant

 

I'm leaning toward the former, but would be completely comfortable with the latter.

[sneakypower]

he's 100x better at 3B than he is at 2B

 

playing him at 2nd is like taking a Ferrari through a school zone

[David]

he's 100x better at 3B than he is at 2B

 

playing him at 2nd is like taking a Ferrari through a school zone

 

it is...but is he going to be a good enough offensive player that it's worth hurting KB's long term value and possibly pigeon holing him as a COF when he's a very good 3B? i know we can just throw him back at 3B if we want to...i'm just not that comfortable with jerking him around, for lack of a better phrase, and moving him off and then moving him back up the defensive spectrum.

 

obviously, if he is, then it's fine, because what makes the cubs a better team is more important than preserving/prioritizing an individual player's value...i'm just not sure there's any way to know at this point if javy is good enough to say that.

[KingCubsFan]

he's 100x better at 3B than he is at 2B

 

playing him at 2nd is like taking a Ferrari through a school zone

 

it is...but is he going to be a good enough offensive player that it's worth hurting KB's long term value and possibly pigeon holing him as a COF when he's a very good 3B? i know we can just throw him back at 3B if we want to...i'm just not that comfortable with jerking him around, for lack of a better phrase, and moving him off and then moving him back up the defensive spectrum.

 

obviously, if he is, then it's fine, because what makes the cubs a better team is more important than preserving/prioritizing an individual player's value...i'm just not sure there's any way to know at this point if javy is good enough to say that.

We're trying to win the division. If putting Javy at 3B improves the defense in LF and 3B (and offense), so be it. We're not Scott Boras, so I'm not sure why we should be caring too much about maximizing KB's long-term dollar value at this point by keeping him at 3B.

[David]

he's 100x better at 3B than he is at 2B

 

playing him at 2nd is like taking a Ferrari through a school zone

 

it is...but is he going to be a good enough offensive player that it's worth hurting KB's long term value and possibly pigeon holing him as a COF when he's a very good 3B? i know we can just throw him back at 3B if we want to...i'm just not that comfortable with jerking him around, for lack of a better phrase, and moving him off and then moving him back up the defensive spectrum.

 

obviously, if he is, then it's fine, because what makes the cubs a better team is more important than preserving/prioritizing an individual player's value...i'm just not sure there's any way to know at this point if javy is good enough to say that.

We're trying to win the division. If putting Javy at 3B improves the defense in LF and 3B (and offense), so be it. We're not Scott Boras, so I'm not sure why we should be caring too much about maximizing KB's long-term dollar value at this point by keeping him at 3B.

 

my whole point is it's about his long term value to us if javy isn't good enough to stick. and if he is, then obviously, putting him at 3b is what is best for the team.

 

i mean, i explicitly said all of that in the post you replied to.

[WrigleyField 22]

he's 100x better at 3B than he is at 2B

 

playing him at 2nd is like taking a Ferrari through a school zone

 

it is...but is he going to be a good enough offensive player that it's worth hurting KB's long term value and possibly pigeon holing him as a COF when he's a very good 3B? i know we can just throw him back at 3B if we want to...i'm just not that comfortable with jerking him around, for lack of a better phrase, and moving him off and then moving him back up the defensive spectrum.

 

obviously, if he is, then it's fine, because what makes the cubs a better team is more important than preserving/prioritizing an individual player's value...i'm just not sure there's any way to know at this point if javy is good enough to say that.

I believe I was one of the bigger KB 3B supporters back in the day, and I have zero issue moving him off for awesome Javy.

[David]

he's 100x better at 3B than he is at 2B

 

playing him at 2nd is like taking a Ferrari through a school zone

 

it is...but is he going to be a good enough offensive player that it's worth hurting KB's long term value and possibly pigeon holing him as a COF when he's a very good 3B? i know we can just throw him back at 3B if we want to...i'm just not that comfortable with jerking him around, for lack of a better phrase, and moving him off and then moving him back up the defensive spectrum.

 

obviously, if he is, then it's fine, because what makes the cubs a better team is more important than preserving/prioritizing an individual player's value...i'm just not sure there's any way to know at this point if javy is good enough to say that.

I believe I was one of the bigger KB 3B supporters back in the day, and I have zero issue moving him off for awesome Javy.

 

except we are FAR from certain that awesome Javy actually exists. like really, really far from certain. i really don't like screwing with bryant that way. i'd rather just stick old man zobrist in LF unless and until we can be reasonably sure that baez can be a competent MLB hitter. i don't really think any position needs to be given to javy anyway. i'm fine with maddon doing things the way he has, for the most part. it's the idea of handing javy 3B and moving bryant primarily to LF that i am not on board with.

 

 

and i was one of the biggest KB can't play 3B people back in the day.

[Sammy Sofa]

[expletive], Baez has FINALLY filled the Castro-sized hole in my heart and I will not have this ruined by LOGIC.

[bcl412]

It's hard to hate a confident player who is clearly having the time of his life out there.