Báez, Javier (1992-…), is one of the best players in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is often called “Javy” or by the nickname El Mago (The Magician). Báez is from Puerto Rico. He plays for the Detroit Tigers in the American League. From 2014 to 2021, Báez played for the Chicago Cubs in the National League (NL). Báez is a shortstop and hits right-handed. He is a dynamic player known for his powerful bat at the plate and his quick glove in the field.
In an abbreviated first MLB season in 2014, Báez showed significant power but also had a high strikeout rate of 45 percent. He spent most of 2015 in the minor leagues, working on his consistency at the plate. Báez became a fixture in the Cubs infield in 2016, switching between second base, third base, and shortstop, and playing an important role in the first Cubs World Series title since 1908.
Báez became the Cubs regular shortstop during the 2018 season. That year, he hit 34 home runs, led the NL with 111 runs batted in, and finished second in the voting for NL Most Valuable Player. Báez was named to the NL All-Star team in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, he won a Gold Glove award for being the best defensive player at his position. In 2021, Báez was traded to the New York Mets in the NL. Later in 2021, during the offseason, Báez signed with the Detroit Tigers.
Ednel Javier Báez was born on Dec. 1, 1992, in Bayamón, a municipality near San Juan, the Puerto Rican capital. His family moved to the Jacksonville, Florida, area in 2005. Báez excelled at baseball in high school, and the Cubs selected him in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft. He played in the Cubs minor league system before making his MLB debut in 2014.
