The future is here for the Chicago Cubs.
Truth be told, we don’t even watch baseball like that. We’ll catch highlights on Sportscenter here and there or a game at the bar every once in a blue moon, so for us to be paying attention to a single player, it must be special.
Nobody besides Cubs fans probably know about 21-year old Javier Baez, but he’s got fans extra excited out in Chicago who visit Wrigley Field. He was just promoted from the Triple A squad and is considered a Top 5 prospect after being drafted ninth in the 2011 draft, putting quite a display in his first three games in the majors.
On Tuesday night, after three strike outs in five at-bats in his major league debut, he took the plate with the scored tied at five. It was the 12th inning and things looked dim for the Cubs. But Baez jacked his first home run in the MLB to win the game.
We caught him in his second game of the three game series with the Colorado Rockies and the Cubs ended up getting demolished by them 13-4.
Then today he was back on his bullshit, sending two home runs out of the park (a solo shot in the top of the 6th and a two-run jack in the top of the 8th). Baez now becomes the first player to hit 3 HR’s in his first three MLB games in 60 years. The last player to do it was Joe Cunningham all the way back in 1954.
Trading Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel last month might have given the Oakland A’s the lead-in for a title run this season, but it also soldified Chicago with one of the best farm teams in the entire league. Not to mention getting Class A catcher Victor Caratini for Emilio Bonifacio and James Russell at the end of the trade deadline.
With impact rookies like Baez, Arismendy Alcantara, RHP Kyle Hendricks and prospects like 3B Kris Bryant, SS Addison Russell, OF Albert Almora, C/OF Kyle Schwarber on deck, the Cubs might be looking like a playoff team in 2-3 years.
Welcome to the show Javier!