Man, baseball season’s rolling again, and today I found myself wondering, “What in the world is up with Javier Baez these days?” Kept seeing mixed stuff online, some fans yelling he’s washed up, others saying he’s finding his groove. Wanted the cold, hard facts, not just chatter.
My Deep Dive into Javy’s 2024 Season
First thing I did? Hopped on over to the official league stats pages, the source everyone uses. Simple search for “Javier Baez 2024 stats”. Easy enough. Tons of numbers came pouring out. Felt a bit overwhelmed, gotta be honest.
Needed to make sense of it. Started picking out the big ones, the stuff anyone talks about:
- Batting Average (BA): How often he actually hits the ball when he swings. Plain and simple.
- On-Base Percentage (OBP): Does he actually get on base, walks included? Way more important than some folks think.
- Slugging Percentage (SLG): How much damage is he doing when he does connect? Singles? Doubles? Homers?
- Strikeouts (SO): Everyone knows Javy swings wild sometimes. How bad is it really this year?
Pulled up his 2024 line right next to his stats from last year, 2023. No point looking at numbers in a vacuum, right? Gotta see if he’s getting better, worse, or just… stuck.
Then I went wider. Noticed a little widget on the site where you can plug in a player and it automatically shows how he stacks up against the average guy playing his position (shortstop, mainly) across the whole league this year. That seemed super useful. Clicked that.
Checked the “games played” count too. Is he actually on the field? Guys can’t help the team from the bench, injuries are brutal.
Finally, I remembered that “clutch” feeling people get about players. Found some numbers they call “situational stats” – basically, what does he hit with guys ready to score? Runners in scoring position (RISP)? Might show if he’s still delivering when it matters most.
What The Numbers Said (To Me Anyway)
Okay, after staring at these numbers for like half an hour, cross-referencing them like some detective… here’s the deal as far as I see it:
- BA & OBP: Still kinda dragging on the low side compared to the really hot hitters. Not rock bottom, but not where you’d want your everyday guy.
- Power (SLG): See, here’s a glimmer! His SLG is way up from last year. Means when he does connect, he’s hitting the ball harder, finding gaps or the seats more often. That power stroke, his signature? Looks like it’s showing back up.
- Strikeouts: Oh boy. Yeah, the strikeouts are still high. Like, really high. Still swings at stuff way outside the zone sometimes. Can’t argue with the hard count.
- Vs. League Avg (SS): When I saw that comparison… it was mixed. His power pushes him above average there, but the low average and high Ks pull him below in other areas. So overall? Sorta hovering around league average for shortstops right now.
- Clutch Factor (RISP): Numbers here looked slightly better than his overall line? Small sample, maybe, but it was interesting. Didn’t look worse, which is something.
So, is he “good”? Honestly? Mixed bag, like I kinda expected but hoped wouldn’t be true. The crazy highlight-reel Javy from years back? That flash isn’t there every day, not consistently.
But you know what? He’s definitely not falling off a cliff either. Looks like he’s actually bouncing back a bit from last year’s mess. Hitting for way more power. Still makes me yell at the screen swinging at garbage sometimes, though. Feels like he’s stuck being… okay. Not terrible, not amazing. Just sorta… there. Playing hard when he’s out there, you can see that fire, but the results are mostly middling. He’s giving you some pop now, but that average and the Ks just hold him back.