MLB: The most valued shortstops of 2019
By Bill Felber
5. Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs, $6.331 million value; $5.2 million salary
The Cubs’ middle infield instability – perhaps a fatal flaw in 2019 – did not affect Baez, who was left alone to flourish at shortstop following five seasons in a more or less full-time utility role. He played only one game at any other position — that being third base — all season.
Baez has been something close to notorious for his inability to resist the urge to fish at the plate, a tendency he did not really improve on in 2019. He drew 28 walks – almost an identical number to 2017 and 2018 – and his 156 strikeouts were also about what Cubs fans have come to expect.
His slash line — .281/.316/.531 – also appears to have matured to its adult form, for better or for worse.
It’s good enough to maintain Baez at or close to the top rank of MLB shortstops for bat skill. He ranked fifth among them in WAR in 2019 with 4.8, justifying $3.254 million in salary. The question then becomes whether he can upgrade his defensive game.
To date, that side of his performance has taken Baez’s plate work as its model, brilliant but not fully disciplined. He averaged 4.28 plays per nine innings, amounting to $1.078 million and better than all but three of his peers.
On the other hand, Baez committed 15 errors in 546 chances, a .973 percentage that stood him only 17th among the 31 positional qualifiers. For that aspect of his performance, he was worth only about $985,000.
He also missed about 30 games, dropping his innings to 1,126, barely above average for the position. Again rating just 17th, it translated to $1.013 million in on-field value.