Cubs infielder Javier Baez news and videos

[http://www.csnchicago.com] Blackhawks Bulls Cubs White Sox Bears Fire Notre Dame Big Ten Preps Video Golf Sports Business Inside Look Beer Money Horse Racing NASCAR NCAA Sky CSN Fantasy Sports CSN Talent TV Listings Channel Finder MORE TV Listings Channel Finder Alerts Contests Shop Tickets Rotoworld Golf Channel Comcast SportsNet Search Latest Video 0:29 SNC: Rio hosts 2016 Olympic Opening Ceremonies 1:09 Gonzalez: 'It meant a lot to me and we came up short.' 1:34 Ventura: '8th inning kinda got away from us a little bit' 0:43 White Sox PGL: Orioles rough up White Sox 1:52 Zaire, Kizer talk quarterback competition 1:30 Brian Kelly talks Notre Dame quarterback situation 1:40 Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly talks about Alize Jones 3:07 Maddon on roster: 'A lot of good problems' Javier Baez How Javier Baez became an almost untouchable player for Cubs How Javier Baez became an almost untouchable player for Cubs By Patrick Mooney August 03, 2016 3:10 PM Latest Cubs Talk Arrieta takes the hill as Cubs battle A's today on CSN Soler homers in return to help Lester, Cubs beat A's Jorge Soler to start Friday, Cubs DFA Joe Nathan While teams still began trade discussions by asking about Kyle Schwarber — trying to value him as a big-time prospect rather than the legitimate No. 5 hitter the Cubs envision in their 2017 lineup — at least rival executives finally started to get the hint about Javier Baez. The Cubs already see Baez as one of their most valuable players — at the age of 23 and during his first full season in the big leagues — meaning trading him in the middle of a pennant race for a young starting pitcher would be robbing Peter to pay Paul. “He’s a game changer on defense,” manager Joe Maddon said before starting Baez at shortstop during Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. “It’s just unusual. Not many groups could have that particular weapon.” Baez allows Maddon to give All-Star shortstop Addison Russell the day off — or move All-Star second baseman Ben Zobrist or All-Star third baseman Kris Bryant to the outfield — and still have a Gold Glove-caliber defender in position (with huge offensive potential). “It’s like a really good boxer,” Maddon said. “There’s a natural fast twitch or whatever people want to call it. He’s just that guy who moves very quickly within his hands. That’s where the bat speed is. That’s where the tag speed is. “If you watch (Robinson) Cano on defense, there’s not a tense muscle in his body. I think when you watch Javy play defense, there’s not a tense anything in anything that he does. “Offensively, that’s where the loose, whippy approach is. Put your scout’s cap on, man. In a couple years, it’s going to be really fun.” Cano is a two-time Gold Glove second baseman, a seven-time All-Star, a World Series champion with the New York Yankees and now in the middle of a $240 million megadeal with the Seattle Mariners. Baez can’t become a free agent until after the 2021 season, making him a core player right alongside Schwarber, Russell, Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Crazy comparisons follow Baez. Gary Sheffield met with president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and then-manager Dale Sveum in an Opryland hotel room during the 2012 winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn., asking him to watch video of Baez on a laptop and break down the swing. The Cubs later hired Manny Ramirez as a hitting consultant with Baez specifically in mind. “There are days — or maybe a week or 10 days — where he’ll shorten up and really utilize the entire field,” Maddon said. “Other times, he’s pretty much John Daly.” Maddon delivered that line perfectly in the interview room, getting reporters to laugh during his pregame media session. But it’s hard to imagine a manager who could draw more out of Baez. “You look at him and two years from now you’re not going to recognize him,” Maddon said. “Even right now compared to the beginning of the year, there are moments where it’s completely different. “This is who he is, man. He’s going to hit homers. He’s going to make extravagant plays, offensively, defensively. But there’s been more of a consistent approach to his game this year — at times.” Baez has consciously cut down his strikeout percentage, from his 2014 debut (41.5) to last year’s September call-up (30) to this season (24.5). He’s put up 11 homers, 40 RBIs and a .768 OPS in less than 300 plate appearances. The sky’s the limit. “With a lot of players, you got to take the bad with the good,” Maddon said. “They’re not going to be perfect when you get a young guy working through issues. Watch a Double-A game or a Triple-A game, you’re going to see a lot of that — the big swing sometimes or chasing pitches out of the zone and not making adjustments. “So just continue to be patient with him. He’s making some really wonderful strides. He goes in and out of windows or pockets regarding his awareness to really cut things down with two strikes. “But it’s a very forceful swing. You’re going to see the power when he gets his 500, 600 at-bats and really knows what he’s doing at the plate. You’re going to see a lot of homers, too.” Tags: Chicago Cubs , Javier Baez Javy Baez blast brings Cubs offense out of hibernation in blowout over White Sox Javy Baez blast brings Cubs offense out of hibernation in blowout over White Sox By Tony Andracki July 27, 2016 10:10 PM Latest Cubs Talk Arrieta takes the hill as Cubs battle A's today on CSN Soler homers in return to help Lester, Cubs beat A's Jorge Soler to start Friday, Cubs DFA Joe Nathan Charles Tillman must be the Cubs' good luck charm. Just a few minutes after the Bears legend sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at Wrigley Field, Javy Baez sent one almost out onto Waveland Ave. That two-run shot put a charge into a Cubs offense that had been scuffling as Baez and Co. wound up beating the White Sox 8-1 in front of 41,166 fans at Wrigley Field. "Living the dream," Baez said. "It was one of my dreams to [hit a go-ahead homer] late in the game. There it is." White Sox starter Anthony Ranaudo was tossing a no-hitter against the team with the best record in baseball before Kris Bryant parked one into the left-field bleachers with one out in the sixth inning. Baez's blast in the seventh inning turned out to be the game-winner and helped lift this offense out of its funk by tacking on five eighth-inning runs. Cubs starter Jason Hammel admitted that homer helped provide a sense of relief for the Cubs offense. "It's almost like...wait. Just wait. It'll happen," Hammel said. "We got enough pop in the bats to score pretty quickly and a lot in a hurry. So as long as we can do a good job on the mound, just keep it close, just give them a chance." Ben Zobrist had an RBI double in that eighth inning and then Addison Russell delivered the big blow with a grand slam off former Cub Jacob Turner that nearly brought the house down at Wrigley. "It was kinda surreal," Russell said. "Just rounding the bases, trying to remember the pandemonium of the fans and then stepping on home plate was awesome." That late rally ensured Aroldis Chapman did not get his first save in a Cubs uniform, but manager Joe Maddon still employed his shiny new bullpen anyway. Hector Rondon worked a perfect eighth inning and then Chapman came on to toss the ninth with a seven-run lead. The new Cubs closer wowed the Wrigley crowd with fastballs clocked at 102 and 103 mph as he struck out Jose Abreu, got Todd Frazier to ground out and then struck out Avisail Garcia. Ranaudo was the story for the first two-thirds of the game, driving in the only run with an opposite-field homer off Hammel and then keeping the Cubs offense at bay. Ranaudo's first career MLB hit was the only blemish on Hammel's line, as the Cubs veteran right-hander struck out seven in seven innings. "I felt great," Hammel said. "I was trying to hide in the dugout from Joe so he wouldn't take me out. It was nice to let go. I felt like I got better as the game went on." Tags: Chicago Cubs , Javier Baez How Javier Baez became an almost untouchable player for Cubs Javy Baez blast brings Cubs offense out of hibernation in blowout over White Sox FOLLOW US Facebook Twitter Google Plus Instagram ©2016 Comcast SportsNet Chicago, LLC A Division of NBC Universal Advertise Affiliates Employment Opportunities Internships Independent Programming Report Parents Guide to TV Ratings Press Release Contact Us Tickets CSN Talent Privacy Policy Purchase Policy Term of Service Live FAQ Ad Choices GET NEWSLETTERS & ALERTS SIGN UP