PITTSBURGH -- The big swing has died down, at least a little bit, and so has the hype surrounding Chicago Cubs super-utility guy and former No. 1 pick Javier Baez. What's left looks like a really solid baseball player who is emerging as a defensive stud on the best team in baseball. There's some irony in it, considering he was so well known for his massive cuts coming up through the minors, but now his glove has taken center stage.

"You can't play much better defense than he did tonight," manager Joe Maddon said after the Cubs' 7-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. "Javy was spectacular."

Baez showed off his defensive prowess at third base, his third-best position, although if he keeps it up it might become his permanent one. Baez will start there again Wednesday as Kris Bryant continues to see the outfield more and more.

"[I'm] ready to play any position," Baez said after the game. "Short, third, left, wherever. I take a good read off the bat and just react to it."

As if the Pirates didn't have enough to contend with in trying to beat Jake Arrieta on Tuesday, they had to get the ball by Baez, and he wasn't complying. He made no less than three big-time plays, barehanding a ball and making a perfect throw to first as he charged in from third, then doing the same on a backhand play coming toward home. Finally, he made a play from deep in the corner near the outfield grass and the foul line, snagging a grounder and firing a strike to Anthony Rizzo. Baez explains:

“[The first] barehand? That was pretty tough. I thought it was too tough to barehand, but at the last moment I reacted to it. Jake told me, 'You’re crazy.'"

"Backhand backwards, I thought the ball was going to take a funny bounce. The other one was all the way to the right, and I made a pretty good throw to Rizzo."

Javier Baez has adapted his game from big-swinging star to slick-fielding defender and it's paying off for his with the Cubs. Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports

Baez has often talked about his ability to read the ball off the bat, though he admits it's harder in the outfield, but on the infield he has become a whiz with his glove and with his arm. On Monday, he made a quick tag on an attempted steal that had everyone talking. Then Tuesday, he showed off his instincts playing flawlessly at third base.

All three were top-notch plays that are going to earn Baez more playing time. With the Cubs down two outfielders, and Jorge Soler playing inconsistently, there's a good chance Bryant will see more time out there with Baez in the infield. He'll still move around, but over time third base might be the place he sees the most action.

"My mind is all over the place with the positions, but I don’t have any problems playing them," Baez said. "I think I'm doing a pretty good job playing different positions."

His manager and teammates, and probably anyone watching, think he's doing more than a pretty good job. The Cubs' defense has improved this year, and Baez is becoming a big part of it. He is starting to see the nuances of playing different positions. At shortstop he was aggressive; at third he can gauge what he wants to do.

"One thing I learned playing third, you can stay back," he said.

And at the plate, it has been a slow process, but one that is finally paying dividends. He's hitting balls to right-center, and the big swings have become a minimal part of his game, though they still happen. Baez wouldn't be Baez without them. But he's hitting .306 with a .342 on-base percentage, though he went 0-for-5 on Tuesday, driving in a run on a groundout. That was actually a big moment, because he brought home a runner from third base with less than two outs.

The underlying storyline here is that the Cubs have become a factory for young or new players to succeed. Little-known catcher Tim Federowicz was on base three times Tuesday, and Matt Szczur and Tommy La Stella have both contributed in the early going. Now comes Baez.

"When you're breaking in young guys, you want to break them in on a good team," Maddon said. "They're not pressed to be the star performers, and then they're being taught properly by the guys around them."

Think how much that applies to Baez. His every move, and his big swing, was scrutinized both in the minors and after he made his big league debut. But now he has gone from "The Man" to just one of the guys, and his game is benefiting because of it.

"I've been showing how much I've grown up with my discipline at the plate," he said.

And he's showing it on the field as well. Maddon summed up Baez's night in a semi-sarcastic manner because his super-utility player is playing at such a high level right now.

"That's way above average," Maddon said with a smile.

Make that way, way above average.