Javier Baez has wowed with his athleticism throughout the postseason, though Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon acknowledges there's still some work to do in regards to how the 23-year-old approaches the game.
After claiming National League Championship Series MVP honors, Baez has hit a major rut in the World Series. The Cubs second baseman is 3-for-21 against the Cleveland Indians and has struck out nine times as he's shown an inability to hold off on swinging at pitches well out of the zone.
"(We're) trying to get him to readjust his thought process," Maddon told Jesse Rogers of ESPN on Tuesday. "Just have him slow things down. When things are going quickly it's hard to put the brakes on. We're attempting to do that with him. Slow it down mentally."
Heading into an elimination Game 6, Baez was dropped to ninth in the order - the lowest he's hit all postseason. Maddon has kept him in the lineup, however, as he offers exceptional defense.
With Baez struggling at the plate, Maddon said he gave the young infielder some things to work on in hopes it will improve his decision-making at the plate.
"Gave him some ideas to work on today," Maddon said. "I don't like to give physical ideas, I like to give mental ideas because you can handle a lot of mental concepts but you can't handle a lot of physical concepts."
