Javier Baez: Cubs told me I'll make the team
Less than a week after manager Joe Maddon said he's no lock to break camp with the big-league club, Javier Baez says he's been assured of a spot on the Chicago Cubs' Opening Day roster.
Baez, who has 14 strikeouts in 39 at-bats this spring, told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he's been informed with two weeks left in spring training that he'll make the team. Wittenmyer adds that a Cubs official confirmed that Baez will be on the roster as the club's second baseman.
The 22-year-old Puerto Rican has impressed the coaching staff this spring with his dynamic skills in the field and on the basepaths, but he's been slow to put into action the mechanical adjustments he made at the plate this winter.
Baez, whose 41.5 percent strikeout rate last year was the highest in the majors among players with at least 220 plate appearances, has just one homer and no other extra-base hits in 42 plate appearances this spring. His struggles prompted Maddon last week to say that Baez's roster spot could be in jeopardy.
Maddon showed signs of reversing course on Wednesday, despite Baez's swing-and-miss approach.
"I might be the only guy sitting around here to tell you I'm really not concerned about that right now," Maddon said, according to CSN's Patrick Mooney. "The swing has nothing to do with it for me. And that's the obvious, surface-layer kind of stuff. That's the part that’s gonna change.
"But if you're breaking down the other components of his game, this is one of the best young players I've seen. Period."