The Chicago Cubs' organization has gotten a first impression of Javier Baez, but after striking out 95 times in 229 plate appearances it leaves some questions on his approach at the plate.
When Baez takes a swing you know he is swinging for the stars. His pre-swing movement is a bit flashy with his huge leg kick and his big wiggle of his arms while the pitch is being thrown with his swing being a mammoth upper-cut.
The results have not been pretty as he hit .169/.227/.324 in his first 2 months, while having highlights with 9 home runs and 20 RBIs while posting an OPS+ of just 51 (or 49% lower than the average big leaguer).
Former All-Star Gary Sheffield, who Javier Baez is most often compared to, said Baez needed to stop collapsing his back leg on a swing. "When you collapse your back leg, anything over the belt line you have to uppercut. You can't stay on top of it."
Baez projects to be the Cubs opening day second baseman for 2015 despite his struggles. Cubs President Theo Epstein said "...But his approach and some mechanical things need to be tweaked. He’s well aware of that (and) he’s excited to make those changes without losing his identity as an aggressive, feisty hitter in the box."
Should Chicago be concerned about their youngster? Let us know in the comments section!