Tonight, the Cubs selected high school shortstop Javier Baez with the ninth overall selection in the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Baez, an 18-year-old from Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, is projected to be a third baseman in the future, as he'll surely add on to his 6'1", 205-pound frame.
Here's some more on Baez from various sources, and I'll follow with my own thoughts:
On the scouting scale, Wilken says he sees 60-70 hitting, close to 70 power, 55-60 running and a 70 arm. They've seen him play short, third and catch but Wilken said they'd find out from Baez where he'd end up. Felt he was one of the two best hitters in the draft. Says he has two swings, letting it out at times but having a good two-strike approach. Said he and scouts sat with the kid and they like the makeup: "astute, confident; he doesn't mince words."
He hit .771 (64-for-83), with 22 home runs, 20 doubles and six triples in his senior year. He stole 28 bases, walked 32 times and struck out three times in leading his school to the National Association of Christian Athletics championship.
Baez was recommended by Cubs area scout Tom Clark.Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers
"Javier has a tremendously live bat, is versatile in the field and we are happy to welcome him to the Cubs organization," said Tim Wilken, Cubs' director of amateur and professional scouting. "He has a great arm and is a smart baserunner in tune with the game.
"Our scouts got to know Javier and are impressed by his makeup. We saw him catch, play third base and play shortstop. He's a quiet and thoughtful young man off the field who lets his game speak for itself on the field."
Baez is a high-ceiling prospect who has drawn comparisons to Gary Sheffield and Hanley Ramirez.
There were no unexpected developments influencing the Cubs’ pick. The eight players taken before Baez had been ranked as the top eight by Baseball America’s Jim Callis. That left scouting director Tim Wilken to choose between three college players – Texas right-hander Taylor Jungmann, Vanderbilt right-hander Sonny Gray and Connecticut outfielder George Springer -- or a high-schooler he felt had a higher ceiling. Baez was the talent he liked the most.
Here’s Baseball America’s scouting report on Baez:MLB.Com
"Baez matched up with fellow Puerto Rican native and Florida prep shortstop Francisco Lindor in February in the season's most heavily scouted high school game, with as many as 100 scouts on hand. Baez and Lindor have more contrasts than similarities, though. Where Lindor is smooth and lauded for his makeup, Baez is explosive and scouts generally pan his makeup. He lives with his high school coach (who is also his legal guardian), though his mother remains in the picture. His bat is too good to ignore, though, and offensively he has few peers in this year's draft. He has the fastest bat in the draft, and while he has a dead-pull approach at times, he has the bat speed to let balls get deep in the zone. Baez has plus raw power as well, which may serve him well if he has to move to third base. He has the defensive tools to stay at short until he outgrows it, as at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, he doesn't have much range to spare. He has plenty of arm for either position. His tools fit the catcher profile, but his makeup does not. He plays with energy, but it's not always positive, and he turns off some scouts with emotional outbursts and an off-field demeanor some describe as aloof. He's committed to Jacksonville."
Fellow Floridian Francisco Lindor will likely go off the board first, but Baez may not be that far behind. That's largely because of his bat. He gets his money's worth at the plate, and the ball jumps off his bat thanks to excellent bat speed. He doesn't have the best plate discipline, but he should be an above-average hitter in the future. He's got good power, especially to the pull side.Baseball America's Jim Callis
He's an average runner who won't be a basestealer, but he's OK when under way. Defensively, he likely won't be able to remain at shortstop, with some thinking he'll make a good third baseman at the next level. He's got the arm and good hands for it, and the lack of range at short won't be an issue.
It also looks like he'll have the bat for the corner spot, and that kind of potential production will likely allow him to be selected as early as the first half of the first round.
Baez was seen as potentially going anywhere from 7-15. Probably has the fastest bat in the draft, just lightning fast. As far as Castro goes, don't worry about it, Baez probably isn't a shortstop long term.ESPN's Jim Bowden(Former MLB GM)
Jim Bowden: Cubs with the 9th pick have take Javier Baez SS from Arlington Country Day.....again best player on the board.....they left alot of pitcher on the board....but this kid is special....can really friggin hit.....lightning electric bat.....might move to 3B but great pick hereESPN's Keith Law In An ESPN.Com Chat Today
Baez has a gun for an arm....another plus plus bad speed draft by Cubs
Jonathan (DC)
Javier baez put up insane numbers in high school. Quick mover and max homeruns you think he could hit?
Klaw (2:43 PM)
They played a really sketchy schedule, though. High school numbers make college numbers look definitive. Not a quick mover to me but 30+ HR power easy.
YouTube Videos
My Take:
My Take:
Considering players such as Anthony Rendon, Bubba Starling, and Archie Bradley were already off the board when the Cubs selected, I'm a big fan of this pick. The Cubs' farm system is very deep, but it lacks prospects that on the surface look like they have All-Star potential. In the above excerpts(and in the videos), we can see that Baez is certainly capable of being a very good one: Best bat speed in the draft, 30+ home run power potential, Hanley Ramirez and Gary Sheffield comparisons, etc.
One of the main concerns people have with Baez is that he has an overaggressive approach at the plate, but I wouldn't put too much into that right now. I mean, look at his high school numbers(in the Cubs.Com excerpt above). He had 48 extra-base hits in 83 at bats, and struck out just three times. Of course he's going to be swinging a lot; his coach would probably hate him if he didn't swing whenever he got a pitch to hit. It's possible that his habits carried over to games against better competition in the summer or showcase events, but I think it's much too early to conclude that he's an "overaggressive hitter".
Anyway, yeah, I really like the pick, and it's exciting to think about what the Cubs' left side infield could look like in a few years if Baez and Starlin Castro reach anywhere near the potential they're capable of.
