Cubs Quick Hits: More Contact Could Mean Javy Being Manny

Joe Maddon opined that Javy Baez could one day be like Manny Ramirez if the powerful, young slugger is able to lay off low sliders.

“When he stops swinging at (the low outside slider), he’s Manny.” -Joe Maddon on Javier Baez

— Spiegel & Parkins (@Spiegel_Parkins) August 15, 2017

In 2016, Baez actually appeared to be making substantial improvements in that department, increasing his contact to a respectable ~73 percent rate, roughly five points lower than the league average.

This year, however, El Mago’s total contact rate is 65 percent. And his contact rate since the All-Star break has been 62.5 percent.

But despite whiffing more, he’s depositing deep fly balls into the bleachers, ballooning his total ISO to .225. You gotta give some to get some, or so they say. For Baez, gearing back and letting it rip leads to more homers and less contact, like most sluggers. But as Maddon pointed out, it seems as though the enigmatic infielder could one day sustain power while making more contact.