Javier Báez Stats
- Height / Weight
- 6' 0" / 190 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 12/1/1992 (31)
- Experience
- 10
- College
- None
Javier Báez Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Javier Báez News
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is not in the starting lineup on Saturday versus the New York Yankees in the Bronx. The struggling Baez went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Friday night's walk-off loss and is now slashing a miserable .183/.228/.258 with one home run, nine RBI, six stolen bases, six runs scored, five walks and 22 strikeouts in 101 plate appearances over his 28 games in 2024. The 31-year-old free swinger has fallen far since his last All-Star appearance in 2019 with the Chicago Cubs, and he's been a massive bust since joining the Tigers in 2022. About the only thing fantasy managers can count on him for now is some modest stolen base numbers. Zach McKinstry is starting at the 6 on Saturday and is hitting eighth against Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt.
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is not in the team's starting lineup for Game 1 of a doubleheader on Tuesday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. With Baez resting, Zach McKinstry will get the nod at shortstop and will hit seventh in the lineup against Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson. It seems like ages ago that Baez was a two-time All-Star with the Chicago Cubs. He's really fallen on hard times in Detroit and is hitting just .193/.233/.277 in 25 games this year with just one home run, nine RBI, six stolen bases, four walks and 21 strikeouts in 90 plate appearances. Now that Baez's power production is down -- he hit just nine long balls in 2023 -- it's hard to justify starting him in mixed fantasy leagues. McKinstry is hitting .220 (9-for-41) and doesn't have a homer this year, but he has a solo home run in six career at-bats against Gibson.
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez was scratched from Sunday's lineup against the Kansas City Royals for undisclosed reasons. Zach McKinstry is now starting in his place and will hit seventh in the batting order against Royals right-hander Michael Wacha. Baez will start on the bench after starting the team's previous seven games. If he's dealing with an injury, we'll update you on condition when we get word. The 31-year-old free swinger has been a disappointment pretty much ever since he landed in Detroit in 2022 and he is off to another bad start in 2024, hitting .193/.233/.277 with only one home run, nine RBI, six stolen bases and 21 strikeouts in 90 plate appearances. McKinstry will be a poor sleeper option in DFS at shortstop. He's never faced Wacha in his career.
Batting Order
1 | Andy Ibáñez |
2 | Matt Vierling |
3 | Mark Canha |
4 | Riley Greene |
5 | Jake Rogers |
6 | Spencer Torkelson |
7 | Wenceel Pérez |
8 | Javier Báez |
9 | Parker Meadows |
Javier Báez Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
1 | Andy Ibáñez |
2 | Matt Vierling |
3 | Mark Canha |
4 | Riley Greene |
5 | Jake Rogers |
6 | Spencer Torkelson |
7 | Wenceel Pérez |
8 | Javier Báez |
9 | Parker Meadows |
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez had his worst full season in 2022, slashing .238/.278/.393 with 17 HRs, 64 runs, and 64 RBI. Although he improved his strikeout rate by 8.7% (24.9%) from a year ago, he did himself no favors by chasing pitches at an alarming 47.5% rate (1st percentile) and swung at just 68.0% of pitches in the zone compared to his career mark of 72.9%. Baez wasn't hitting the ball hard either, posting an 8.0% barrel rate (52nd-percentile), 87.9 MPH average exit velocity (31st-percentile), and a .378 xSLG, with a move to Comerica Park only making things worse. The 30-year-old has lived off of high BABIPs throughout his time in the big leagues (career .328 BABIP), but it regressed to a more average .292 in 2022. Also, Baez's HR/FB came down to Earth with a 12.3% mark which barely compares to his career rate of 19.5%. He was still running a bit, swiping nine bases, but was nowhere close to the 18 he stole in '21, and he posted his worst sprint speed to date (66th percentile). Baez has a chance to bounce back if luck is on his side again, but fantasy managers shouldn't count on that. Steamer is penning him for a .241 average, 22 home runs, 10 stolen bases, 73 RBI, and 71 runs next season, which is not worth his 160 ADP.