Tag: Javy Baez

Twins catcher Christian Vazquez showed a ridiculously outside target against Javy Báez and of course it worked

He swings at EVERYTHING.

For the money, there isn’t really a worse hitter than Tigers shortstop Javy Báez. He ranks near (or at) the bottom in virtually every hitting metric this season, and his abysmal plate discipline makes for an easy matchup whenever a pitcher gets Báez in a two-strike count.

Twins catcher Christian Vazquez really took advantage of that on Sunday.

With Báez down 0-2 in the sixth inning against Minnesota, Vazquez set up his target for pitcher Bailey Ober well into the left-hand batter’s box. For almost every other hitter, you’d never see a target like that. It’s a waste pitch, after all. But there really aren’t waste pitches when Báez is at the plate.

Vazquez knew that Báez was swinging, so it didn’t make much sense to even have the pitch go anywhere near the zone. So, of course, that target worked as Báez swung and missed for strike 3.

He’s hitting .178 on the season for a reason.

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Javy Baez astonishingly managed to fly out on a pitch that bounced shy of the plate

He will swing at ANYTHING.

Javy Baez has had his share of troubles since signing a six-year, $140 million contract with the Detroit Tigers (including with one of the worst chase rates in baseball). But if he decides that baseball isn’t his thing, he can always look into cricket.

He showed some potential on Monday.

During Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians, Emmanuel Clase got Baez to fly out to center field on a 92 mph slider that Clase never would have expected Baez to even get a piece of. That’s because the pitch bounced shy of the plate. It just didn’t stop Baez from both making contact and putting some decent distance on the bouncing ball.

Clase’s reaction was especially great. He was laughing about how Baez managed to hit that slider off the bounce.

MLB fans were impressed with the hand-eye coordination — even if Baez’s plate discipline continues to leave a lot to be desired.

Tigers’ Javy Báez had the coolest bat flip while continuing to joyfully play villain to the White Sox

Poke and prod Báez at your own risk.

Anyone who has ever watched Javy Báez play baseball knows he plays fearlessly, always turned to 11. When you boo him? He makes sure you regret it. There is nothing more he loves than being a villain.

That Báez fun fact has added spice to the Tigers’ weekend series with the White Sox (-1.5). Not too long ago, Báez, of course, played in Chicago as a member of the crosstown Cubs. During his time in the city, there was never any outright animosity with the South Siders. But then again, he did play for the Cubs.

On Saturday night, in the Tigers’ visit to Chicago, Báez drove a dagger into the heart of White Sox fans jeering him in a 7-5 win. With his competitiveness already ignited in the finale on Sunday, Báez launched a towering two-run bomb to start things off.

His ensuing awesome bat flip fit the moment to a tee:

And check out these amazing close-ups:

Hoo, boy. That’s a guy positively locked in, genuinely having the time of his life. Let Báez driving a dagger into the heart of the White Sox be a nice reminder to the rest of the league. Antagonize him, and he won’t stop until he makes you pay.

Mics picked up so much of Javy Baez’s expletive-riddled argument with ump before getting ejected

He was heated.

We’re still early into the 2022 MLB season, and it’s already seeming like players have lost patience with umpires. It’s gotten to the point where even borderline calls are leading to blowups between players and umpires.

That’s exactly what happened on Monday night with Javy Baez, and we were able to hear what happened thanks to some hyper-sensitive microphones.

Baez was called out on strikes in the ninth inning against the Oakland A’s, and he immediately turned to home plate umpire Nick Mahrley to voice his displeasure. And while it appeared that Mahrley’s strike call was borderline, Baez was furious and went off on an F-bomb-filled tirade. (Warning: NSFW language).

Honestly, if MLB won’t give us robot umps, I’d happily accept on-field microphones like that. That was just compelling TV.

Overall, though, Mahrley had a decent night behind the plate. He missed a call earlier in the game with Baez at the plate, which could have played a part in the ninth-inning outburst.

Both Baez and manager A.J. Hinch were ejected for the argument. The A’s won, 2-0, and MLB fans had thoughts on the whole ordeal.

Mets president Sandy Alderson joined the search Javy Baez’s lost earring from the walk-off celebration

Baez lost an earring but won the game.

When Mets president Sandy Alderson arrived at Citi Field for work on Tuesday, I don’t think he ever expected to spend the moments following a wild win looking through individual blades of grass near home plate.

But nothing about the Mets has ever been predictable except for their dysfunction.

In the first game since since the team’s thumbs-down celebration drew scrutiny from the fans and Alderson, the Mets rallied to beat the Marlins in a ninth-inning comeback. Javy Baez — who was booed in his first plate appearance of the game because of his role in the thumbs-down saga — ended up scoring the winning run. It couldn’t have ended any other way.

Yet, you can always count on something to go wrong even in the happiest of moments for the Mets.

Amid the mayhem around the plate, Baez evidently lost a piece of jewelry — one of his earrings. The grounds crew spent some time searching for the lost jewelry piece, and eventually Alderson joined in on the search.

It’s no easy task to find an earring on a baseball field, and Alderson didn’t stick around the whole time.

Either way, we know that earring didn’t just disappear. It’s somewhere on that field. But, of course, it would take a lost earring to get Mets fans back to cheering for Baez.

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Mets fans loudly booed Javy Baez in his first at-bat. Then, he scored the winning run.

Mets fans are taking things well.

Ahead of the trade deadline, the Mets made an aggressive move to acquire Javy Baez from the Cubs despite his expiring contract. If the past few days are any indication, the Mets gave up their 2020 first-round pick for a three-month rental who gets booed by their own fans.

On Sunday, Baez upset both Mets fans and the front office when he told reporters that the team’s thumbs-down gestures in celebration were a message to the negativity they’ve heard from fans during August’s collapse.

Baez — along with Francisco Lindor — tried to move past the ordeal by apologizing ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Marlins. Baez was not in the starting lineup for the game (a resumption of a suspended game). But when he entered as a pinch hitter, Mets fans weren’t exactly welcoming.

The small crowd at Citi Field serenaded Baez with loud boos and thumbs-down gestures — a similar scene to what took place during Lindor’s pregame apology.

That probably wasn’t what Baez imagined when he arrived to the then-first-place Mets in July. But it comes with the territory of playing for the Mets, apparently.

Baez would end up reaching on a hit by pitch.

Things would change the next inning as Baez came to the plate with runners on second and third — and the Mets down by two. This time, with fans chanting his name, he’d drive in a run on an infield single.

The following at-bat, Michael Conforto won the game on a hit to left field. The winning run was scored by Baez because of course.

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The best photos of Javier Baez, Francisco Lindor giving ‘thumbs down’ to Mets fans at Citi Field

This particular scenario has been brewing for a long time at Citi Field.

New York Mets middle infielders Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez upset fans at Citi Field by flashing thumbs down in their direction.

While beef between players and fans usually occurs between the home fans and the road team, the Mets have always had their own way of doing things. This particular scenario has been brewing for a long time, as Lindor has been on the receiving end of boos all season long.

Lindor has used the negative energy as fuel for his fire in the past but the two players have heard it go on for long enough and now, they’re fed up.

Deesha Thosar, a beat reporter who covers the team, relayed the message from Baez (via NY Daily News):

“We’re not machines, we’re going to struggle. … It just feels bad when I strikeout and I get booed. … We’re going to do the same thing to let them know how it feels.”

Baez, who made his debut with the team less than a month ago in late July and hasn’t had the warmest welcome, wanted fans to have a taste of their own medicine. As he put it, simply put, they are going to get booed when the team has success.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, Baez has a point. You expect to get jeered when you’re on the road but when you’re at home, a more welcome environment would certainly help.

Lifelong Mets fan and NBA star Donovan Mitchell didn’t seem to mind, anyway. Mets president Sandy Alderson, however, doesn’t agree.

As he noted, fans are “understandably frustrated” by the recent performance of the team. The executive said that he loves New York fans for how “loyal, passionate, knowledgeable and more than willing to express themselves” they are for their team. He added that they have “every right” to express their disappointment with the on-field product.

The players and the organization are “equally” frustrated, per Alderson, but he will hold a team meeting to tell them players cannot be negative towards fans (via Mets):

“In a post-game press conference today, Javy Baez stated that his “thumbs down” gesture during the game was a message to fans who recently have booed him and other players for poor performance. These comments, and any gestures by him or other players with a similar intent, are totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”

Frankly, there are far worse things that have happened within the Mets organization and in comparison, this feels like small potatoes.

However, this somehow isn’t the first time (!) the team has issued a statement about a gesture someone within the organization gave towards the crowd. It’s also not the first time that someone putting their thumbs down at Citi Field has made headlines.

But this time around, we have more photographic evidence. Scroll down for the best photos we could find of the new incidents in question:

Javy Baez said his thumbs-down HR celebration was a message to the booing Mets fans

It’s time for Mets vs. Mets fans.

The Mets put together back-to-back wins on Sunday for the first time since Aug. 12, but in those 17 days, Javy Baez and his Mets teammates have taken notice to all the boos echoing throughout Citi Field.

They’ve turned it back around at the fans in a not-so-subtle celebration.

During the Mets’ 9-4 win over the Nationals on Sunday, Baez gave the Mets the lead with a go-ahead, 444-foot home run in the fourth inning. As the Mets infielder crossed home plate, he gestured a “thumbs down” with both hands towards the dugout. Baez would say after the game that it was the team’s response to the negativity they’ve heard this season from their own fans.

Baez spoke about the gesture during the postgame press conference.

Heading into Saturday’s game, the Mets had lost 12 of 14 and seen a 3.5-game lead in the NL East turn into a now-7.5-game deficit. So, it’s pretty clear exactly why Mets fans have been so frustrated this month. Baez — who was the team’s big pick-up ahead of the deadline — had been both hurt and disappointing since joining the Mets.

And even if Mets fans can be an irrational bunch from time to time, taking a shot at them in celebration form probably won’t endear Baez to the Mets faithful going forward.

More 444-foot homers will, though.

MLB fans roasted Javy Baez over his outrageously embarrassing swing against the Giants

Just a *bit* early.

When the New York Mets added Javy Baez ahead of the trade deadline, it was supposed to signal an all-in move from a club poised to win the NL East. The Mets had a 3.5-game lead in the division at the time, and Baez — who is in the final year of his contract — looked to provided that additional boost.

Well, fast forward a few weeks, and everything has gone wrong for the Mets. New York now trails the red-hot Braves by 6.5 games in the division, and Baez has been a major disappointment thus far between an IL stint and a .190 average with the Mets.

If the trade could be summed up in one swing, Tuesday’s plate appearance against the Giants’ Sammy Long would have to be it.