This will mark the first time Báez has been selected for the MLB All-Star GameGETTY IMAGES
Cubs 2B Javier Báez is being hailed as "one of the possible antidotes" for MLB's "troubling lack of action," according to Jorge Ortiz of USA TODAY. Báez, who will make his first All-Star Game start next week, "routinely takes monstrous hacks" and "plays three infield positions with a flair not seen" since Roberto Alomar. He is a "daredevil on the bases" and has "turned the seemingly mundane task of tagging into nearly an art form." Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, "He's the most exciting player in the game right now, and he's also getting better." Ortiz notes fans "can't get enough" of Báez, "often breaking into chants of 'Ja-vy! Ja-vy' even at road ballparks." Báez also "might lead the league in the unmeasurable category of having fun, which he believes is becoming scarcer in baseball, partly because of a preoccupation with statistics" (USA TODAY, 7/13). In Chicago, Mark Gonzales writes Báez has "achieved a balance of making routine plays with more consistency while continuing to display his dazzling talent to complete virtually impossible plays." The "quick tags and diving stops that cause fans to gasp in awe now complement the ease with which he makes an off-balance throw while crossing second base." Maddon: "Javy definitely is out of the past. He appeals to the past and the present. He appeals to the past based on his baseball acumen and appeals to the present based on his allure, charisma and the attractiveness he has to today's fan" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/13).
SWINGING FOR THE FENCES: Báez is one of the eight players who will take part in the Home Run Derby on Monday night, and CBS Sports Network's Adam Schein noted it is an "unbelievable group" lined up for the event. He said he was "thrilled" Brewers 1B Jesús Aguilar is in the field, while Dodgers 3B Max Muncy also "deserves it." Astros 3B Alex Bregman "is a megastar," and MLB "should promote him just like" they do with fellow participants Braves 1B Freddie Freeman and Cubs LF Kyle Schwarber. Nationals RF Bryce Harper and Phillies 1B Rhys Hoskins round out the field, and Schein said, "What a great group and a great way to celebrate the youth and talent in baseball” (“Time to Schein,” CBSSN, 7/12). ESPN’s Clinton Yates noted Angels DH Shohei Ohtani "needed to be in it," but he said that the eight players participating are "actually interesting ballplayers." Yates: "Rhys Hoskins wears a double ear flap on his helmet for goodness sake, and Javier Báez is one of the most exciting players in all of baseball. If you had a fielding competition, he'd be in that one, too. If you’re not there for the home runs, you get to learn about some fun ball players.” The Dallas Morning News' Tim Cowlishaw said, "I don't want to get rid of the Home Run Derby, I just don't like this field. How, with all its power hitters, is the entire American League represented by Alex Bregman? That is it, it’s seven against one" (“Around the Horn,” ESPN, 7/12).
