The Detroit Tigers are preparing for the 2024 season and they have the same hope of putting together a winning season and becoming one of the better teams in Major League Baseball. They hope to overcome seven years of losing and frustration and becoming a true factor in the American League Central. If the Tigers are going to show significant improvement, they are going to be counting on shortstop Javier Baez to get back to the form he had in the earlier years in his career.
Known as Javy to his fans and teammates and given the nickname of El Mago — The Magician — because of his remarkable hands, Baez has not performed anywhere near as well for the Tigers as he did earlier his career for the Chicago Cubs.
Baez was a key performer on Chicago's 2016 World Series champions. He earned a reputation as a free swinger who delivered big hits while making some of the most eye-catching defensive plays seen in the big leagues. His ability to slap a quick tag on opposing base runners was something he did better than any player in recent memory.
However, Javier Baez has fallen badly on both sides of the ball in 2022 and 2023 with the Tigers. He has been booed frequently by Detroit fans, and Baez is as upset about his downturn as Tiger supporters.
He has spent much of the offseason working on both his core strength and fundamentals in order to return to form. He has reported that he had significant pain in his back.
“I was just trying to be healthy (in the offseason), feel better with my low back and my core. It feels pretty good right now. I’ve been swinging a lot. … It hasn’t been bothering me, so hopefully it stays that way.”
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