Javier Baez hasn't hit like this in a long time.
He had long since seemed destined to be an eternal bust for the Detroit Tigers.
But somewhere recently, Baez has been reawakened. He's hitting like one of the best players on the planet again.
After a home run on Friday night, Baez is batting .300 with three homers, 14 RBI and an .804 OPS.
He has never hit .300 for an entire season, coming closest in 2018 for the Cubs when he batted .290 (and slugged 34 HRs).
Baez joined the Tigers in 2022 and has never been the player he was in Chicago. He hit .238, then .222, then an abysmal .184 last season.
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He struck out often, flailing at sliders down and away and then swinging through fastballs all over the zone.
Baez looked to be washed up, broken, done for.
And now this seemingly random breakthrough has come out of nowhere. It's not even a given it'll stick around.
But it's a beautiful little slice of baseball, reminding the world how special a talent Baez was once regarded to be.
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Shoot, he's even playing centerfield these days and doing it well, having robbed a home run on Thursday night.
There's no predicting what comes next for Baez. Just appreciate what's happening right now.
His career looked to be over. And now, Baez is magical once again.
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