Javier Baez Trying Different Approach At The Plate

Last season,

Javier Baez

was one of the most ferocious hitters in baseball. Every time he swung the bat, it seemed like he was trying the ball to explode into dust. This offseason, he worked on that, and now realizes that he cannot swing to hit the ball over the fences at every at-bat. He is hoping to bring back the magic he had at the plate.

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Javier Baez made a splash when he got called up to the majors. He had a game-winning home run in his first big league game, and had three homers in his first three games.

After that initial success, Baez struggled mightily. The pitchers at the higher level found the holes in his swing and took full advantage of him. In 213 at-bats, he hit .169 and struck out an amazing 95 times.

In fact, there were five games in which he struck out four times in a game. In contrast, it took Albert Pujols 7,894 career at-bats before he did the same.

I’m not trying to say Baez can or can’t be like Pujols, he is still finding his way. I just wanted to highlight the struggles Baez had with his swing.

This offseason, Baez played in the Puerto Rican winter league and worked on his swing. He adjusted his big leg kick, when his knee went up to about his waist. Now he just lifts his left heel, balances on his forefoot, then brings his foot back down. It’s a cleaner, more simple approach to the ball.

Baez also has a new body. He lost 25 pounds in the winter by having dental work that made it tougher for him to eat. That is probably the only way he could keep from eating so much of that rich, great-tasting Puerto Rican food.

Don’t get it wrong, Baez didn’t completely ditch the leg kick. He will still use it a lot. He will use his new approach when he has two strikes on him, or with runners in scoring position. He now has a plan at the plate, other than “just hit the stuffing out of the ball.”

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Baez realizes that at the Show, it is important to have a plan. In the minors, you could get away with a lot just depending on your athletic ability. In the majors, EVERYONE has talent and athletic ability. You have to have a plan to succeed.

One thing that may help Baez in his first full season in the big leagues is the hiring of Manny Ramirez as hitting consultant. Manny worked with Baez last season in Triple-A. Baez enjoyed being around Ramirez and he took in everything the hitting great had to say.

“I grabbed Manny’s stuff and I put everything in my locker,” Baez said after Friday’s workout. “I thought he was going to be here with me. The next day, he moved all his stuff back.”

Ramirez knows what Baez went through. Back as a rookie in 1993, Ramirez was a September call-up who hit .170 with the Cleveland Indians. “It happened to me,” Ramirez said. “You’re so excited. Let’s give him time. This is a new year and (let’s) see what he (can) do.”

Baez appreciated it when manager Joe Maddon visited him in Puerto Rico. “It means a lot,” Baez said. “It means that they care about you. They’re showing they love you, and they’re trying to make you get better every day.”

I don’t know if it was love as much as it was that the Cubs need for Baez to play well for the team to turn things around. At any rate, it was good that Maddon made that trip.

Maddon knows what he has in Baez and doesn’t want to add to his pressure. “I’m pretty patient,” Maddon said. “This guy’s young and I know the fans and whomever might be expecting a lot real quickly. I’m just wanting Javy to come out and try to get better every day and try to stay in the present tense.”

Patience is the key to the fans’ expectations. They just need to let Baez go through his growing pains, because there will be some. He will be an integral part in Theo Epstein’s plan of rebuilding the Chicago Cubs.

Next: Mike Olt Hoping ChangesBring Success In 2015

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