When the Detroit Tigers signed Javier Baez, they envisioned him becoming a leader on the team and helping Detroit return to the playoffs. Instead, the former Chicago Cubs star has struggled throughout his Tigers tenure, most recently making an embarrassing gaffe on the base paths. His mistake, as he forgot how many outs there were while running the bases against the Toronto Blue Jays, led to Baez being removed from the game. Javier Baez revealed the underlying reason for his mistake following the game, per Evan Petzold.
“My mind is everywhere right now,” Baez said. “I’m just trying to focus on my hitting and my timing. The only reason I lost the count of the outs, it was because I was hitting sixth. I thought I was the third batter in that inning. That’s the only reason. Anybody can make a mistake. At this point, the way we’re playing, and the way I’m playing, it’s obviously going to be worse. If I’m hot and I have seven homers and I make that same mistake, I would have stayed in the game. But I got no excuses.”
Through 12 games in 2023, Javier Baez is slashing just .122/.182/.146 with a .328 OPS and no home runs. His lackluster performance is fresh off the heels of a forgettable 2022 campaign that saw him hit .238 with a miserable .671 OPS.
The Tigers, as a team, have continued to falter as well. Detroit was able to defeat Toronto on Thursday, but they are still just 3-9 on the young season. Javier Baez and the ball club will look to turn things around on Friday against the San Francisco Giants.
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