LAKELAND, Fla. -- While Kevin McGonigle took ground balls with the first-year infielders on the Tigers’ first day of full-squad workouts Sunday, Javier Báez was right there with him, showing him the way at shortstop.
“We’re getting to learn from each other all the time,” Báez said. “There’s always something that a player, a teammate or a coach, you can get out of it. So I come here every day and try to do the best I can to teach and to take home something from the day.”
While McGonigle, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 2 prospect in baseball, took his swings in live batting practice for the first time Monday, Báez was shagging fly balls in center field.
On Tuesday, Báez saw an open spot at third base and stepped in to handle the hot corner.
This is Javy’s camp. A year ago, he hadn’t even started to tackle center field; that didn’t begin in Spring Training until Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling were injured in the first Grapefruit League games, and after Báez felt comfortable moving around after right hip surgery. Now he’s bouncing around instinctively.
“I don’t mind,” Báez said Tuesday afternoon. “[Tigers manager A.J. Hinch] hasn’t told me anything about moving positions, but I like to be moving around, especially when we’re hitting batting practice. I like to go out there and shag. Today during the drills, there was nobody at third, so I didn’t ask; I just went to third. I’m open to whatever.”
That doesn’t mean that his main job at shortstop is up for grabs, or that utility is in his future. But it shows how his natural athleticism and versatility has morphed from a curiosity on the Tigers into a strength, one that Hinch will try to use to his advantage if the opportunity arises.
“We need him,” Hinch said Tuesday. “He’s a big part of what we’re doing. The fact that we’re moving him around isn’t an indictment of him.”
While many veteran players might prefer to find one position and stick at it, there’s a sense that Báez is at his best when he’s bouncing around the field, particularly if doing so contributes to a winning team. His ability to embrace playing in center last year helped the Tigers overcome their early-season injuries and post the best start in baseball. It coincided with an incredible all-around first half for Báez, whose .752 OPS earned him his first All-Star selection since 2019.
His production faded down the stretch, but he recharged for the postseason, batting .313 (10-for-32) with a home run, five RBIs and numerous athletic plays in the field.
“After the first half, I got a little tired from the surgery,” Báez said. “But it wasn’t really bothering me. I kept playing, and once we got to the playoffs, the emotions and the energy obviously went up. I went through it, but after the season was over, I got my rest and we kept working with the plan and attacking the surgery, the rehab stuff. It’s been really good. I feel pretty good right now. It hasn’t bothered me at all, so I feel great.”
For better or for worse, Báez will have a full Spring Training to work on that in Lakeland. He had hoped to represent his native Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and play back home in San Juan, but a suspension for a positive drug test for marijuana following the last WBC in 2023 carries through this year’s event. He would not have been suspended under current MLB rules, but the international baseball rules are different.
“Honestly, I don’t want to point fingers at anybody, because this is all my fault. I’m the one that failed the test, and the rules are there,” Báez said. “There’s one job that I have to do: Play baseball. I don’t know if they didn’t want me in the WBC or whatever, but it’s just really frustrating that I won’t be able to be there and to be part of this. It’s been a long, long time [since] we played this tournament in Puerto Rico, and when we did, I think in 2006, I was in the stands as a fan.
“To have the chance to be part of that and now it’s away from me, it really hurts. It really hurts my family, my reputation. But it’s part of it. Other than that, I have a long season to go, and I have to prepare for that. This offseason, I really worked out to be ready for the WBC, and now I’m ready to go. Gotta focus on my Spring Training and be ready for the season.”