Javier Baez was called up to the Chicago Cubs' roster in the beginning of August and he hit a game-winning home run in his major league debut. However, since then he's struggled mightily and has been working on improving his hitting approach.
The 22-year-old Baez appeared in 52 games with the Cubs and batted .169/.227/.324/.551 with 25 runs scored, nine home runs and 20 RBIs while also striking out 58 times in 118 at-bats. Although he struck out 130 times in 388 at-bats during the 104 games he spent at Triple-A Iowa, he at least slashed .260/.323/.510/.833 with 64 runs scored, 23 home runs, 80 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.
The Cubs made it a priority to work on Baez's hitting mechanics because his overpowering and "violent" swing coupled with his lack of patience and poor pitch selection resulted in his in ability to make good contact and get one base. Unfortunately, Baez didn't really improve during winter ball in his home country of Puerto Rico. In 11 games with Cangrejeros de Santurce he slashed just .233/.306/.442 with four runs scored, two home runs, seven RBIs and 21 strikeouts in 43 at-bats.
As a result, Cubs' hitting coach John Mallee took a trip down to Puerto Rico in December to work with the youngster. Mallee suggested Baez adjust his hands "in an effort to make contact more efficiently," according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Even manager Joe Maddon went down to Puerto Rico this offseason and spent a couple of days working with Baez.
"I talked to him about a couple of things, and he only struck out one time," Maddon said via Gonzales. "He hit some balls well through the middle and hit a double down the left field line. He worked really good at-bats."
"I'm pretty patient. This guy is very young. I know the fans might be expecting a lot very quickly. I just want Javy to get better every day and try to stay in the present tense, and that's how I do this."
It's a good sign the Cubs' are willing to go to great lengths to help Baez, but that doesn't mean he'll be starting at second base on Opening Day. Arismendy Alcantara, who was called up in July and spent most of his time at second base before Baez earned his promotion, has been showing significant improvement during the offseason. The 23-year-old Dominican was moved to center field and ended up playing 48 out of his 70 games there, but now that the team acquired Dexter Fowler from the Houston Astros, they have some flexibility with Alcantara.
After batting .205/.254/.367/.621 with 31 runs scored, 10 home runs, 29 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 2014, Alcantara logged 19 games with Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Republic and slashed .324/.395/.544/.939 with 10 runs scored, four home runs, eight RBIs and three stolen bases in 68 at-bats. If Baez performs poorly in spring training and proves he isn't ready for Opening Day, it's possible Alcantara starts the season at second base.
However, Baez seems confident about the adjustments he has made thanks to the help of the Cubs' coaching staff.
"I'm just working on my strikeouts and my swing, and I think we're almost ready," he told reporters on Saturday. "... it's all timing. I've talked to the hitting coach and I've seen a lot of videos."
"It has been good," Baez added when asked about adjusting his hands. "It feels weird, but I'm not going to change my swing. We're just working on something, and my swing is going to come like it used to."
There's no question Baez has the talent to play at the major league level, it's just a matter of whether he'll be ready within the next six weeks.
