If you follow MLB and, specifically, the Detroit Tigers, then you probably already watched Javier Baez’s memory lapse in Thursday’s game.
He was on second and thought there were two outs on the inning, then took off to third immediately after the hitter made contact.
That contact resulted in a fly out to center field, and since there was only one out, Baez needed to tag second before taking off to third.
The center fielder threw to second and the inning was over with a double play.
For an offensively-challenged team like the Tigers, leaving a man on second because of a baserunning mistake is painful.
We are sure he is not doing it on purpose, but obviously, his head is not always in the game.
Perhaps so many struggles in his time as a Tiger have affected him.
After all, he hit .238 with a putrid .278 on-base percentage last year.
He has been even worse this year, with a .328 OPS that looks awful.
People are wondering if switching teams could help kickstart his career again.
“Javy Baez is so checked out, man. Am I alone in thinking a change of scenery would revive his career? MLB analyst Jared Carrabis tweeted.
Javy Baez is so checked out, man. Am I alone in thinking a change of scenery would revive his career from him? pic.twitter.com/eMvouvQVEE
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) April 14, 2023
That’s probably true: there has been a losing culture in Detroit for years and leaving it could theoretically help him.
The problem is that his high contract and poor performance make him an undesirable trade asset.
He is probably stuck with the Tigers for the foreseeable future, because releasing a man they paid $140 million to just two years ago isn’t in the cards for Detroit.
NEXT:
Tigers Fans Are Confounded By Javy Baez
