Chicago Cubs #2 prospect, also the #5 overall prospect in all of baseball according to MLB.com, Javier Baez was called up from AAA Iowa to join the major league squad in Colorado on Tuesday. Baez was the topic of conversation for Mets fans outside of what I wrote earlier in the year, but he has moved quickly through the minor leagues and flashed serious power during his time down on the farm. After a slow start, the young prospect finished his time in Iowa with a .260 batting average, .510 slugging percentage and an OPS of .833. He cranked 23 home runs and 80 RBI’s in 104 games and the Cubs deemed this enough for a shot in the big leagues.
It’s important to note that Baez will likely be playing second base as the Cubs current shortstop, Starlin Castro, is an All-Star in his own right and the position is still his to lose. Both Castro and Baez are important to the Mets because they fit into the conversation with Troy Tulowitzki as Amazins’ look to fill the last remaining pieces for a perennial contender.
I am looking forward to seeing what Baez is capable of and hope that he shows the promise so many scouts have raved about. I think Tulo is a stellar ballplayer when he’s healthy, but I’m not convinced he’s the right fit at this stage in his career when the Mets are looking to getting better and younger at the same time.
Let’s Go Mets
