Here’s why Javier Baez is legit MVP candidate

Javier Baez has turned himself into an MVP candidate by reshaping his approach at the plate and has shown that he has taken the next step.

For the last few years, Javier Baez has been known for chasing pitching, flashy defensive highlights, and a boyish friendship with Francisco Lindor. While the latter two remain present, he isn’t chasing as many pitches this year. This has helped him lower is strikeout rate from 28.3% to 21.4%.

Not swinging at as many bad pitches is allowing him to unleash his power. Now that he sees more strikes with pitchers not expecting him to chase, he’s been able to square up pitches. This has resulted in 9.4% of his batted ball events being barrels. These are the best hit balls and he has upped his number from 5.5% last year. So, now he leads the Cubs in home runs and the National League in RBIs.

As of now, the expected NL MVP candidates aren’t doing so well. Bryce Harper and Paul Goldschmidt are both hitting under .250. Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon are both on pace for less than 100 RBIs. Lastly, Joey Votto’s team has been horrible and he isn’t the league leader in OPS. This has opened up the field for other candidates.

So, his biggest competition comes from within his team in the form of Kris Bryant. The former MVP paces Baez in batting average, strikeout percentage, OPS, and wOBA. However, Baez is hitting for more power and has put up his numbers with a lower BABIP. This symbolizes that Baez is due for more success when he begins to put the ball in play.

This would help to increase Baez’s batting average as he continues to separate from other potential MVP candidates. Hitting in the 5 spot in the Cubs roster allows him plenty of chances to continue to drive in runs and remain the leader in RBIs in the NL.

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He’s ready to increase his batting average while maintaining his power and RBI numbers, putting him in position to be a prime MVP candidate this season.