Javier Báez Is Fun. Let It Happen.

Javier Báez is making baseball fun again at a rate that Bryce Harper could only dream of

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Javier Báez is having fun.

As hard as it is to believe, that is a good thing.

Bryce Harper may be trying to make baseball fun again, but Javy Báez is succeeding. In a league seemingly filled with young talent, Báez has quickly become everything Major League Baseball should be looking for. For a league that is scrambling to inject excitement into it’s game, Javier Báez is exactly what it needs, irrespective of how certain traditionalists feel about it. As impressive as the bland excellence of Mike Trout is, Báez’s polarizing swagger is infinitely more marketable.

Báez’s public displays of emotion may infuriate some, but there is a defined difference between Jurickson Profar being tagged out pre-emptively celebrating a single, and Báez’s no-look tagging of a stealing Nelson Cruz — He made the play.

Báez celebrates Yadier Molina’s throwing out of Nelson Cruz at the WBC

Everyone already holds their opinions on the ‘bat flip,’ and I will not be the one to change your stance. Báez celebrating his defensive prowess is his bat flip, though he has yet to meet the same right hook other celebrators have previously. But as long as he is making the plays, Báez is going to celebrate, and as long as he is celebrating, he will be fun to watch.

Báez is making defense sexy again. The mashers will always have their long ball, but Báez owns the 4–6–3 double play and he performs it with an unmatched swagger. Baseball players are paid to make plays, and Javy Báez makes plays, but damn does he do it with style. If you don’t enjoy watching Báez play, you aren’t watching baseball the right way, or your Cardinals hat is blocking your view. Báez’s flair and confidence have brought an electricity to the defensive half of games that hasn’t been seen in years. The top half of an inning at Wrigley Field is no longer the time to get your popcorn.

Báez is himself. He wears his heart on his sleeve and commits to every plate appearance and put-out. On a historically elite 2016 Cubs defense, Báez may have been the most defensively gifted player on the team, yet may not even have a spot in the 2017 Opening Day lineup. Cubs manager Joe Maddon will be forced to find a way to get the 24-year-old on the field, or the Cubs, not to mention Major League Baseball, will be starved of one of the most electric gloves in the League.

Javier Báez is great for the Cubs, great for Puerto Rico, and most importantly, he is great for the game of baseball. Báez is reminding us just how fun this game can be – Enjoy it.