Javier Baez’s expectations for Detroit Tigers in 2022
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez, general manager Al Avila and manager AJ Hinch talk Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021.
Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press
- Javier Báez hit two three-run home runs, including a walk-off homer in the 11th inning, to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 10-9 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
- Báez’s resurgence comes after he underwent season-ending hip surgery in 2024 and is now hitting .319 with a .870 OPS.
Javier Báez took a big swing.
He let his bat fall to the dirt, raised both arms in the air and walked down the first-base line.
“I tried to do the Manny,” Báez said.
In October 2007, Boston Red Sox legend Manny Ramírez struck a similar pose after hitting a walk-off, three-run home run in Game 2 of the American League Division Series — arms raised in triumph as the ball soared over the Green Monster at Fenway Park.
That must’ve been what this felt like for Báez.
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Even though this walk-off, three-run home run came on May 13 in the bottom of the 11th inning, as the Detroit Tigers beat the Red Sox, 10-9, in a regular-season game at Comerica Park.
“I wasn’t sure if it was going out or not,” Báez said, “but I hit it pretty good.”
On Báez’s blast, the ball soared through the night sky toward the big scoreboard in left field, dropping into the bullpen just shy of the first row of seats.
Only then did Báez run the bases.
“I am so happy for that guy,” said manager A.J. Hinch, who had a big role in the Tigers signing Báez to a six-year, $140 million contract in December 2021. “I don’t know if he’s going to tell you how much it means to him, but I know it does.”
Not only did Báez hit a three-run home run in the 11th inning, but he also hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning. And it’s not just that Báez had a big game — he’s in the midst of a career renaissance once thought to be impossible.
At the same time, the Tigers (28-15) own the best record in the American League and are tied with the New York Mets for the best record in MLB.
Báez, a 32-year-old shortstop who has suddenly evolved into an elite center fielder, is hitting .319 with an .870 OPS in 34 games this season, leading the Tigers in both categories. It’s a staggering turnaround for a player who, over the past two seasons, was statistically the worst hitter in the big leagues, including a .184 batting average with a .516 OPS in 80 games last season.
Everything changed when Báez underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his right hip in September 2024.
He wasn’t able to play in the postseason.
“I’m grateful to feel like this,” Báez said, reflecting on his health after the surgery. “I’m feeling almost 100%, maybe 100%, and I’m doing what I can do. … I’m just trying to finish the year healthy, and we’ll see at the end of the year how we do.”
The hip surgery has helped Báez rediscover his swing, specifically by allowing him to transfer his weight more efficiently.
“I’m still doing all the exercise I did on my rehab with our trainers,” Báez said. “More than the rotation, it was transferring my weight, like loading and trying to go forward. That was the thing that wasn’t letting me swing.”
It sounds like Báez just needed to get healthy.
“Since spring training, we’ve talked a lot and have a really good relationship,” said second baseman Gleyber Torres, who has influenced Báez’s hitting through consistent communication. “He told me in spring, ‘This year, I’m going to hit better.’ I think he feels better after surgery. He’s healthy.”
Although Báez couldn’t compete in last year’s postseason because he was on crutches in the earliest stage of his six-month rehab process, he remained a presence throughout the Tigers’ playoff run — welcomed into the clubhouse and hitters meetings, both at home and on the road.
He drew from experience to offer advice.
“The biggest thing that I told everybody is to enjoy,” said Báez, who won the 2016 World Series with the Chicago Cubs. “Sometimes you look back and you say, ‘I didn’t enjoy this,’ or, ‘I should’ve done this better.'”
Now, Báez is taking his own advice.
He’s enjoying his new role.
He has become the Tigers’ everyday center fielder, a position he always wanted to play but never would have played if not for a string of injuries in the outfield, including a four-month absence for Parker Meadows.
Báez started in center field for the first time April 21. A few weeks later, he already grades out as one of the best center fielders in baseball.
“I’ve been trying to play center field all my career,” said Báez, a Gold Glove shortstop worth plus-4 defensive runs saved through 156 innings in center field. “I knew I was going to be really good at it because that was my natural position when I was a kid.”
“Let them hit it out there,” Báez added. “I will catch it.”
For his latest proof of resurgence, Báez — the center fielder, not the shortstop — turned on a slider at the bottom of a strike zone for his first home run in the sixth inning. He did the same on a sweeper in the same location for his second home run in the 11th inning.
The sweeper was the pitch type he was hunting.
“I was on time pretty good,” Báez said.
Not too long ago, Báez seemed like a lost cause — one of the worst hitters in baseball, still owed $73 million over the final three seasons of his contract. These days, he is performing like the star player the Tigers once expected him to be.
Maybe it’s time to move him up in the batting order.
“Would you touch what he’s doing right now?” Hinch asked.
Probably not.
“Me neither,” Hinch said.
He paused.
“I’m going to move him up to the eight-hole tomorrow,” Hinch said, smiling.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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