Cubs' Epstein not surprised by Baez's struggles

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein isn't especially surprised rookie Javier Baez has struggled offensively through the nascent stages of his major-league career.

"Offensively, it's gone as expected," Epstein told MLB.com. "Javy's extraordinarily talented but very raw offensively. He hasn't quite learned a consistent approach and swings at the pitches he wants to swing at, and he's letting the pitcher dictate the course of the at-bat by not being selective enough. When you do that in the big leagues, it can get ugly in a hurry."

Baez, who was promoted from Triple-A Iowa on Aug. 5, is hitting just .172/.232/.333 with nine home runs and 91 strikeouts through his first 50 games with the Cubs. Though his offensive numbers remain unimpressive, he has managed to endear himself with his defensive work.

"He's played incredible shortstop," Epstein said. "Beyond the tools that he has and the plays that he's made, he's shown a great baseball head on his shoulders and really good instincts, really good focus. He's won the respect of a lot of veterans here with the way he plays the game on the field. That's big, and not to be taken for granted from a 21-year-old."

Epstein remains confident that Baez's current woes will help him in the future.

"It's like getting comfortable in the big leagues - you can't just tell someone, 'Get comfortable,'" he said. "He readily admits he'll be more comfortable in the big leagues than he is now.

"Sometimes you have to just experience it for yourself and the light goes on with one swing or one video session or one offseason when you can take a deep breath and come back differently."